Reviewed by Delmer P. Hylton Wake Forest University
Monograph #2 published by the Academy of Accounting His-torians, John Raymond Wildman 1878-1938, is an exposition of the considerable influence of one man on the development of the ac-counting profession in the United States. Mr. Wildman’s career included service in the academic as well as in the practicing areas of the accounting profession. The monograph details his profes-sional bearing and demeanor and his contributions to the account-ing profession.
Wildman was a prolific writer and the monograph includes a bibliography of his known writings. In addition, some 46 pages con-tain summaries of some of his published material. The coverage of topics is wide, ranging from “how to do it” articles to elaborations of various aspects of accounting theory.
No par stock was of particular interest to Wildman and in 1928 he and Weldon Powell published Capital Stock Without Par Value, a book which is still considered a classic discussion of accounting for enterprise capital. Wildman also published textbooks on ac-counting principles, cost accounting and auditing. An interesting note is that Wildman advocated inventory observation and con-firmation of accounts receivable as required audit procedures long before their adoption by the profession.
Mr. Wildman’s teaching career was at NYU, the school from which he received his degrees. His practicing experience was with Haskins and Sells (now Deloitte Haskins and Sells). During his thirty-year career he taught and/or worked with a number of persons who be came leading members of the accounting profession. Among these were John W. Queenan, Maurice Peloubet, Arthur Faye, Weldon Powell, Ralph S. Johns and William H. Bell. Apparently he made a lasting impression on each of these able men.
When what is now the American Accounting Association was organized, Wildman was elected its first president. He had a keen interest in accounting and auditing research and promoted such activity both in the AAA and in Haskins and Sells where he estab lished and headed the Technical Procedures Department. This de partment was responsible for staff training and for research on a firm-wide basis.
In summary, Monograph #2 honors the memory of a man who was a thorough-going professional. His influence was and is important. This monograph should be of interest to anyone who wishes to understand the development of the accounting profession. One may hope that some of our “wheeler-dealers” presently apparent in the profession can learn something about professional conduct and obligations from a treatise such as this.
