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THE BIG SIX

Name: THE BIG SIX
Author: Mark Stevens
ISBN: 0-671-69549-5

THE SELLING OUT OF AMERICA'S TOP ACCOUNTING FIRMS

by Mark Stevens ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 1991

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In 1981, Stevens (Sudden Death, 1989, etc.) authored The Big Eight, an enlightening rundown on the pick-of-the-litter partnerships that audit publicly held corporations, government agencies, philanthropic institutions, and other organizations whose books need independent keeping. Ten years later, he's back with an equally illuminating report on what's been happening at the top of the accounting trade in the interim. As his title suggests, there was a full measure of turmoil in the numbers game during the 1980's. For openers, two major mergers have made an elite octet a beset sextet comprised (in order of 1989 revenues) of: Ernst & Young; Arthur Andersen; Deloitte & Touche; KMPG Peat Marwick; Coopers & Lybrand; and Price Waterhouse. Owing to the high overhead required to maintain a multinational practice, Stevens expects at least a couple of the firms still at the top to join forces by the turn of the century. As he makes clear, moreover, all survivors must cope with pressing problems in court, in house, and in the marketplace. Using inculpatory case studies, the author conveys a good idea of the staggering liabilities that threaten CPA firms as a result of slipshod work for S&Ls and other gaudy casualties of excessively free enterprise. He also documents the efforts of managing partners to mollify captive consulting units whose restive, even rebellious, staffers are convinced their contributions are unappreciated and inadequately rewarded. In the meantime, Stevens notes, the once-clubby calling of big-time accounting has turned competitive as ambitious auditors vie to expand their client rosters. Among other consequences, he implies, this increases the risk of conflicts of interest and raises disturbing questions about some practitioners' professionalism (e.g., are they for hireor sale?). An update that stands on its own as a source of valuable perspectives on a business whose for-the-record opinions can undergird (or undermine) public confidence in the integrity of the financial statements issued by commerce and industry.

Pub Date: April 30, 1991

ISBN: 0-671-69549-5

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1991

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
FRANCIS BACON
by Mark Stevens & Annalyn Swan

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MELANCHOLY HOWL
by Mark Stevens

- BOOK REVIEW
LAKE OF FIRE
by Mark Stevens

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.