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Historical accounting literature

We've been collecting manuscripts and rare books on accountancy for over 100 years and have one of the finest collections in the world.

The Collection

image of the Melekh manuscript
About the collection

Find out more about the collection and its history

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A preliminary page from one of ICAEW's two copies of Summa de Arithmetica
Highlights of the collection

Find out about some of ICAEW's treasures

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A view of an ICAEW rare book through the Turning The Pages interactive tool
Turning the pages

Take a look at digitised copies of four of the rarest books

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Image of a book cover - The Earliest Books on Bookkeeping
The Earliest Books on Bookkeeping

Pamphlet on the origins of double-entry bookkeeping which is a valuable guide to key works in our rare books collection.

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Photograph of the statues on the exterior of Chartered Accountants' Hall
Pacioli: The 'Father of Accounting'

Luca Pacioli, arguably one of the most influential figures in the history of accounting, is also one of its most intriguing.

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Some of ICAEW's rare book collection, which includes books from the 15th Century.
The collection in wartime

How ICAEW staff kept Chartered Accountants’ Hall open throughout the war while protecting the rarest books on accountancy.

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Magnifying glass enlarging some Latin text in old book
Search

Search ICAEW's collection of rare early works

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