Book Is Now Available

Okay this is not really a blog posting but just a quick announcement. If you are teaching at a college or university and would like to get a hardcopy version of the new Financial Accounting textbook that I have written with C. J. Skender of UNC, please send an email to Sharon@flatworldknowledge.com. It is hot off the presses and ready for your consideration.

And, in case you want to see exactly how I have spent the last three years of my life doing, here is a short promo letter that I wrote this morning about this new textbook.


I have long been frustrated with textbooks on the market, especially at the introductory level when students are first being exposed to accounting. To me, the “traditional” textbook is (a) too expensive, (b) too boring, and (c) too confusing. Without a textbook that guides students through the material and helps build their interest, it is difficult for any teacher to have a successful classroom experience. In this time of rapid technological innovations, I am stunned that textbooks have evolved so little. In general, they are not much changed from those that I used over 40 years ago as a student.

I do not want to take up too much of your time so let me provide you with a few quick reasons why I believe this new textbook will prove to be different, why I hope it will change the way accounting professors use textbooks in the future.

a)--The online version is available for FREE (yes, FREE) to all of your students. There is a moderate cost for the paper version but every student may certainly use the textbook online for free.

b)--The entire book is written in a Socratic Method style. We pose a question and address it. We then follow that with the next logical question. I could probably write several pages as to why I think that all textbooks will eventually be written in this fashion but let me give you just four:
it has the natural feel of a conversation rather than a lecture,
it allowed us as authors to blend both theoretical and practical questions,
it guides students through the material in a logically organized structure, and
it enabled us to better address those areas where students typically have trouble.

c)--Each chapter begins with a short video to introduce students to the material and explain why it is both relevant to them and potentially interesting.

d)--Embedded multiple-choice questions are included on virtually every page so that students can receive immediate feedback as to whether they have picked up key concepts.

e)--An ongoing conversation is included throughout most chapters with a Big Four partner about IFRS (international financial reporting standards) and their differences and similarities to US GAAP.

f)—We include 17 short interviews with a successful investment analyst to provide students with a look at the real-world side of financial accounting.

g)--Each chapter ends with a closing video that challenges students to pick the five most important elements of the chapter and compare them to my list. We want students to think deeply about the material. Asking them to make this evaluation is one way to encourage that type of critical consideration.

However, you need to judge a textbook for yourself. If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to contact me at Jhoyle@richmond.edu. I am always glad to talk about this textbook or education in general.