This book, first published in 1988, provides an analysis of recruitment to the new profession of nineteenth-century accountancy, and in doing so, gives an insight into the complex origins and behaviour of the emergent professional classes. Unlike most studies, this is a study of all recruits, not only of those who succeeded in becoming qualified. This permits an analysis of the whole process of recruitment, including the choice of accountancy as a career option and as a vehicle of social mobility.

Stephen P. Walker

1. Introduction 2. The Determinants of Recruitment to the Society of Accountants in Edinburgh 3. Career Selection: Why Chartered Accountancy? 4. Occupational Preparation: Apprenticeship and Examination 5. Vocational Success and Failure: Professional Training, Qualification and Careers 6. The Limits to Self-Recruitment: Marriage and Fertility 7. Self-Recruitment and Social Mobility 8. Conclusions