BOOKS, form of. The first books were in the form of blocks and tables : but as flexible matter came to be wrote on, they found it more convenient to make their books in the form of rolls: these were composed of several sheets fastened to each other, and rolled upon a stick, or umbilicus ; the whole making a kind of column, or cylinder, which was to be ma naged by the umbilicus as a handle, it being reputed a crime to take hold of the roll itself: the outside of the volume was called from; the ends of the umbilicus, comma, horns, which were usually carved, and adorned with silver, ivory, or even gold and precious stones ; the title cvA was struck on the outside; the whole volume, when extended,.might make a yard and a half wile, and fifty long. The form which obtains among us is the square, composed of separate leaves ; which was also known, though little used, by the ancients.
'Ionics, in a mercantile sense, or BOOK keeping, the several registers wherein merchants and other dealers keep their accounts.
A merchant's books should exhibit the true state of his affairs. They should spew the particular success of each trans action, as well as the general result of the whole ; and should be so arranged, as to afford correct and ready information upon every subject for which they may be con sulted.
Merchant's books are kept either by single, or according to the method of double entry. They who keep them in the former method have occasion for few books, as a journal, or day-book ; and a ledger, or post-book ; the former, to write all the articles. following each other as they occur in the course of their business ; and the other to draw out the accounts of all the debtors and creditors On the journal This method is only pro per for retail dealers, or at least for tra ders who have but very little business : but as for wholesale dealers, and great merchants, who keep their ta,ks accord ing to the double entry, or Italian me thod, as is now most commonly (tine, their business requires several oilier book the usefulness of which will be seen from what follows.
The most consideraule books, accord ing to the method of double entry, are, the waste-book, the journal, and the ledger ; but besides these three, which are absolutely necessary, there are several others, to the number of thirteen, or even more, called subservient, or auxiliary books, which are used in proportion to the business a man has, or to the nature of the business a man carries on. These
books are, the cash-book, the debt book, the book of numeros, the book of invoices, the book of accounts current, the book of commissions, orders, or ad vices, &c.
The waste-book may be defined a regis ter, containing an inventory of a mer chant's effects and debts, with a distinct record of all his transactions and deal ings, in a way of trade, related in a plain simple style, and in order of time as they succeed one another.
The waste-book opens with the inven tory, which consists of two parts ; first, the effects, that is, the money a merchant has by him, the goods he has in hand, his part of ships, houses, farms, &c. with the debts due to him ; the second part of the inventory is the debts due by him to others : the difference between which and the effects is what the merchants call neat stock. When a man begins the world, and first sets up to trade, the in ventory is to be gathered from a survey of the particulars that make up his real estate ; but ever after is to be collected from the balance of his old books, and carried to the new.
After the inventory is fairly related in the waste-book, the transactions of trade come next to be entered down ; which is a daily task, to be performed as they oc cur. The narrative ought to exhibit transactions, with all the circumstances necessary to be known, and no more. It should contain the names of persons with whom the merchant deals upon trust, the conditions of bargains, the terms of pay ment, the quantity, quality, and prices of goods, with every thing that serves to make the record distinct, and nothing else. The waste-book, if no subsidiary books are kept, should contain a record of all the merchant's transactions and dealings in the way of trade; and that not only of such as are properly and purely mercantile, but of every occurrence that affects his stock, so as to impair or in crease it, such as private expences, ser vants' fees, house-rents, money gained, &c.