Title page from ''T Recht gebruyck van't italiaens boeck-houden, waer in begrepen staet, een memoriael, journael, ende schult-boeck' by Hendrik Waninghen (Amsterdam, 1672). [Library shelfmark: ICAS.843]
The Netherlands entered a period of great economic expansion at the beginning of the 17th century and began to play an increasingly important role in worldwide sea-borne trade.
Dutch accounting practice was especially influential in Great Britain, with the result that the Netherlands came to be regarded as a training school for British merchants.
Hendrik Waninghen was an Amsterdam schoolteacher and his text is typical of the many Dutch treatises that were published at this time.
The title page features an engraving of a 17th-century counting house.
The ruled account books are clearly shown and the accountants are notable for their elaborate formal dress with hats.