Top Books for Teaching Yourself Accounting

Accounting can be an essential skill for both personal and professional purposes. Whether you're looking to enhance your financial literacy or start a career in finance, the right resources can make a significant difference. In this article, we recommend several highly regarded books that can guide you in your accounting journey.

Beginner-Friendly Books

For those starting from scratch, there are several books that provide a clear and concise introduction to the fundamental concepts of accounting. If you're looking for an accessible introduction, consider the following:

“Build Your Own Accounting System: A Hands-On Guide to Mastering the Basics” by Richard P. Mann. This book provides an easy-to-understand approach to understanding basic accounting principles, including double-entry bookkeeping, debits, credits, and journal entries. The step-by-step guide makes it perfect for beginners. “Spend Happily Ever After: The Quick-and-Dirty Guide to Step-by-Step Budgets, Taxes, Credit, and Investing” by Suze Orman. While not solely an accounting book, it offers a practical overview of financial management, including basic accounting concepts.

Practical and Comprehensive Resources

For a more comprehensive resource, you might want to explore:

“Financial Accounting: Tools for Business Decision-Making” by Maryanne M. Mowen, Brenda F. Kieso, and Donald E. Kieso. This textbook is widely used in accounting courses and offers in-depth coverage of both financial and managerial accounting topics. It includes a variety of practical examples and exercises to enhance your understanding. “NetWorth2b Accounting 101” by NetWorth2b Systems. This is an inexpensive eBook available on Amazon that provides a clear and concise narrative covering each topic followed by an interactive quiz with pop-up answers and explanations. The quizzes can be revisited repeatedly, reinforcing comprehension.

For Those Deeper into the Subject

If you're looking to dive deeper into specific areas of accounting, consider these advanced textbooks:

“Financial Accounting” by Walter T. Harrison Jr., Charles T. Horngren, and C. William Thomas. This book covers the fundamental principles of financial accounting, including financial statements, balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements. “Managerial Accounting” by Ray H. Garrison, Eric W. Noreen, and Peter C. Brewer. This book focuses on managerial accounting principles, such as cost behavior, cost-volume-profit analysis, budgeting, performance evaluation, and decision-making tools. “Intermediate Accounting” by Donald E. Kieso, Jerry J. Weygandt, and Terry D. Warfield. This text delves into more advanced topics, such as revenue recognition, long-term liabilities, stockholders' equity, and financial statement analysis. “Auditing and Assurance Services” by Alvin A. Arens, Randal J. Elder, and Mark S. Beasley. This book provides an overview of auditing principles and practices, including the auditing process, internal controls, audit sampling, and ethical considerations. “Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis” by Charles T. Horngren, Srikant M. Datar, and Madhav V. Rajan. This book focuses specifically on cost accounting, covering topics such as cost allocation, cost behavior, cost estimation, and cost management techniques.

These books cover a range of topics within the field of accountancy, from basic financial accounting principles to more advanced topics like auditing and cost management. Depending on your specific interests and needs, you may find one or more of these books particularly helpful.