Underlying this book, first published in 1988, is the belief that it is insightful to examine accounting not as merely a technical process, nor as a technical process with social and political consequences, but as an activity which is both social and political
in itself
. One way of illuminating the social nature of accounting is through studying its cultural variations, for although accounting is a feature of modern industrial society the extent of its use varies across cultures. This book examines the history of accounting and explores the complicated relationship between accounting and society.