Reviewed by Horace R. Givens West Virginia University
H. L. Mencken once refused to review a book because the author had omitted an index. This brief history of accounting in Maryland omits both an index and a table of contents and their lack is felt by the reader. Nevertheless, the book is of interest to the accounting historian as well as to the members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants. Loeb and May have followed the traditional chronological format common to such histories and have done a good job of reviewing old city directories for the names of accountants and bookkeepers making services available to the pub¬lic before the formalization of the accounting profession in the early 20th century. By reference to such directories as well as materials such as Perine and Bickwit’s Accountants Directory and Who’s Who, they have obtained brief biographical data on many of the men responsible for the legal recognition of accountants in the state of Maryland.
A substantial portion of the book describes the evolution of the profession in Maryland after the passage of the first CPA law in 1900. This portion draws heavily upon the minutes of the state CPA society (organized in 1901) and deals with many familiar topics such as the problems of unlicensed practitioners, professional ethics and advertising, educational qualifications, the examination for certification and so forth. Accounting historians interested in the development of legislation for professional licensing will find the separate chapter dealing with this matter of value. The chapter abstracts pertinent sections of the various laws passed over the years and frequent reference is made to the minutes of the Maryland State Board of Accountancy.
The book also includes the usual listings of officers of the state society and a table showing the numbers of CPA certificates granted each year. An index of names would have been of value to the historian, but the book is short enough to enable one to find what one needs with a minimum of lost time.
