156 



ACCOUNT OF BOOKS, 



The Elements of Book-keeping : comprifinc; a Svjiem of Merchants* 

 Accounts, founded on real Bufinefs, and arranged according to 

 Modern Frattice. By P. Kelly, Majlcr of Finjbury SqUare 

 Academy. Price 5s. Johnfon, Robinfons and Rivingtons. 

 Kelly's Ele- The improvements which time and experience have effected 



keeping. °^ book-keeping, do not comprehend any change in the ori* 



ginal principle of doable entry ; but in the arrangement and 

 claflification of fimilar accounts, which facilitate the operations 

 of commerce nearly in the fame manner as the bufinefs of 

 manufactures is expedited by the divifion of labour. The 

 elementary treatife before us exhibits thefe improvements. 

 The author introduces his work by a concife account of the 

 hiftory of this art, which he thus concludes : " from the fore- 

 going view of the principal authors who have written on 

 book-keepings, it appears that they have been compofed of 

 two different descriptions, pofTeffing very diftinci qualifications. 

 The firft, and by far the moft numerous clafs, were teachers 

 who have explained the principles, without adverting to the 

 progreffive improvements of pra&ice ; and tl;e fecond, mer- 

 chants who have exhibited tho% improvements, without ex- 

 plaining the principles. The productions of both claiTes of 

 writers are highly ufeful, and to combine their utility is the 

 object of the prefent undertaking. " - 



This work comprifes three fets of books, the firft explains 

 and illuftrates the principles of both Tingle and double entry ; 

 the fecond is a further exemplification of the Italian method of 

 double entry by wafle book, journal, and ledger, which does 

 not differ from the fyftems given by other authors ; but the 

 third fet of books differ eilentially, and therefore deferves par- 

 ticular notice. Here the wafte-book is divided into a number 

 of fubiidiary books, each of which is the regiit er of its peculiar 

 portion or department of bufinefs, and each book is divided 

 into monthly tranfactions. By this means the journal is greatly 

 fliortened and Amplified; butt principal advantage of this 

 fyltematic arrangement confifts in polling to the ledger ,♦ for 

 there a whole month's cam, bills, commiflion, infurance, or 

 interelt, are each carried in one fum or entry from the journal 

 to* the ledger. This method, by which repetitions are 

 avoided, and labour confiderably diminifhed, is now gene- 

 rally adopted in many principal mercantile houfes. The author 



informs 



