Jane Gleeson-White is an Australian author and blogger. Her latest book is Double Entry: How the merchants of Venice shaped the modern world – and how their invention could make or break the planet, an exploration of the history of double-entry bookkeeping. She has also published two books about books – Classics in 2005 and Australian Classics in 2007. Jane also blogs at bookishgirl.com.au.

We caught up with Jane at the Sydney Writers’ Festival and spoke to her about her latest book, her research, what she thinks makes a classic book and what drove her to write a book about accounting!