EXHIBIT 23.1 CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS ---------------------------------- We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-4 of AKI, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AKI Holding Corp.) and Subsidiaries of our report dated July 31, 1999, except for Note 18 which is as of September 15, 1999, relating to the consolidated financial statements which appears in AKI, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of AKI Holding Corp.) and Subsidiaries' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 1999. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading "Experts" in such Registration Statement. /s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Nashville, Tennessee September 28, 1999