Veteran accountant Cyril Shaw is lifting the lid on the profession with the publication of his first book. Oh, and he is 82 years old.

Clients? Who wants them? I do! (Olympia Publishers)takes a humorous, behind-the-scenes look at the world of accountancy. Mr Shaw, who writes under the pen name Peregrine St John, tells People: “I know I’ve left it late. The book was something that had been in my mind for some time. There have been books about lawyers and doctors but I hadn’t come across anything on accountancy.”

Semi-retired, Mr Shaw has been an accountant for more than six decades, running his own company, Shaw & Co, in London’s West End. He now works from home. He adds: “The book’s written for the general public. It’s semi-autobiographical and shows the other side of the profession.”

Mr Shaw says the book took him around fours years to complete. “I started writing it all by hand.”

And why Peregrine St John? “I’ve always liked the name and I don’t particularly like mine.”

He is a member of the Central Synagogue, London.