Abstract: This chapter examines the historical development of the theory and practices of cost and management accounting in the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The study focuses on the twentieth century and highlights only those cost and management accounting issues which, at ifferent times, have dominated cost and management accounting theory and practice, or which merit attention because of their specifically Nordic and innovative nature. Most cost and management accounting ideas have come to the Nordic countries from larger leading industrial nations, such as Germany, the UK and the USA. In addition to this fact, cost and management accounting ideas have travelled from one Nordic country to another.