If you are interested in accounting on a professional level or just out of curiosity, there are plenty of good books that will help you. Here we will examine some of the most popular accounting books that might be of interest to those with a lot of experience with the subject or indeed no experience at all. New accounting books are being produced all the time and this is not in any way meant to be an exhaustive list.
The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand (2nd Edition) by Judith Orloff and Darrell Mullis (2008)
This book is good for the complete beginner to accounting as well as the person who already has quite a good bit of knowledge. The text is fun but it has also been used successfully by people studying for important accounting exams. All the basic of the subject are covered and fun examples are given to make this information stick in your mind. By the end of reading this book you should have a fairly reasonable knowledge about accounting.
Accounting by Paul D. Kimmel, Jerry D. Weygandt, and Donald E. Kieso — 3rd Edition (2008)
This book is good for the student who wants to study the subject to a deeper level in an academic setting — in fact it is a required text now in many universities. This is a bulky book with over 1,300 pages but it has all the information you are likely to need. This is not only a good text for undergraduates though, but also for anyone looking for a good reference book on accounting. This textbook also contains handy review questions to check if you have absorbed the most important information.
Accounting by Carl S. Warren, James M. Reeve, and Jonathan E. Duchac – 23rd Edition (2008)
This is another highly respected text that has been helping students assimilate this material for many years. Each new edition has been updated to reflect current changes in accounting and this latest version of the book will suit the modern student. All the major topics are covered within the content and many of the ideas are presented with real world examples. Although this is meant to be aimed at the accounting student the explanations are clear enough for most people to grasp.
Financial Accounting by Carl S. Warren, James M. Reeve, and Jonathan E. Duchac – 10th Edition (2006)
This book has been written by the same authors who wrote the much respected textbook ‘Accounting’ (see above). This other book is just as well praised but focuses particularly on financial accounting. This is a comprehensive book that well be a helpful resource for students and will also make a handy reference book for the rest of us.
Intermediate Accounting by Donald E. Kieso, Jerry D. Weygandt, and Terry D. Warfield 13th Edition (2009)
This book is aimed at helping the practicing accountant as well as those new to the profession like recent online accounting degree graduates. The book is written with clear explanations and no previous knowledge of the subject is required. This text focuses on accounting in the modern world and discusses the use of modern technology and computer software. Each new edition in the series attempts to include all the changes that are occurring in the world of accounting.