"The United Dutch East India Company was the first public company, preceding the formation of the English East-India Company by over 40 years. Its fame as the first public company which heralded the transition from feudalism to modern capitalism and its remarkable financial success for nearly...

1. Introduction -- 2. Dutch identity and the influence of landscape -- 3. Netherlands' trade and commerce -- 4. Dutch bookkeeping and the Hanseatic influence -- 5. The Dutch East-India Company -- 6. Accounting for capital -- 7. The VOC's general bookkeeping : contradictions and conflict -- 8....