50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Work and Life from 50 Landmark Books

50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life, From Timeless Sages to Contemporary Gurus 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books 50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books on Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose In the first instance, I have bought these three books in one go because I have been fascinated by what the author had done: He has practised what is known as the highest level of reading. Mortimer Adler, in his classic book, 'How to Read a Book', written in the forties, had called it 'syntopical reading'. It's actually reading a number of books of the same genre, more or less simultaneously & then synthesising the key points. Secondly, the author, who is a graduate of the London School of Economics, somehow impresses me with his ability to synthesise the big picture of each of the books that made up the entire collection. For apparently a left-brain thinker i.e. economist by training, this has been a very remarkable feat, as his synthesising endeavour has been essentially more of a right-brain activity. Well, I must compliment him for a job well done. Before my final decision on buying the three books, I have been thrilled by the prospect of reading three books, which in turn will give me access to one hundred & fifty books. For each book, the author has very artfully as well as skillfully selected fifty books to made up one collection. I may not agree with his selection, but I must admit that I can't default him at all. Take the first book, '50 Self Help Classics', with timeless wisdom, as an example. Out of the fifty books he has selected, I have read only seventeen of them. I have those books in my personal library. For the second book, '50 Success Classics', I have read & still own sixteen of the landmark books on winning wisdom selected by the author. For the third & final book, '50 Spiritual Classics', covering timeless sages & contemporary gurus, I have read only & still own three of them, namely 'The Tao of Physics', 'The Way of the Peaceful Warrior' & 'Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'. For those books I have read previously, totaling thirty-six of them (probably stretching over three decades of my life), & upon revisiting them again in the trilogy, which actually took me one whole weekend to complete, starting on Friday evening & finishing on Sunday night, I must say that the seemingly marathon reading experience has been very refreshing & uplifting. It has also given me the opportunity to check & verify whether the author has captured the key ideas or essence of those books. I don't think I can find fault with the author in this respect. Not only that, in the first book, I am very impressed that the author has cut through the bewildering array of choices to bring the essential ideas, insights, and techniques from the `literature of possibilities'. In works that span the world's religions, culture

Truly, this is a great condensed volume of success advice. Butler-Bowden does the hard work for you, and in one volume you get the "meat" of 50 books. And, these 50 are some pretty hefty books. Some contemporary, some classic, but all contain valuable kernels of information that Butler-Bowden has already sussed out for you. The author includes a brief biography of the authors of the books he has chosen, and in many instances, those stories are just as inspiring. I really enjoyed being reminded of "The Inner Game of Tennis". I read that book a long, long, time ago and 20+ years later, I have used the information time and again. Perhaps this little book helped make me a lifelong self-learner. I'm pretty sure it helped me be a better parent, teacher and manager. For fans of success and achievement books, some of these selections are like old friends you need to get in touch with, and many will probably be new stories you'll grow to love. If, on the other hand, you are a new student of success, seeking a meaty source for success education and information this is definitely bang for your buck. It might inspire you to read some of the "whole" books, but even this condensed "cram session" will leave you inspired and informed.

In both this volume and in 50 Self-Help Classics, Butler-Bowdon has selected and then provided a rigorous examination of carefully selected works which have had, for decades, a profound impact on those who read them and then applied the principles which their respective authors affirm. In this instance, "winning wisdom" to apply in one's life and work. There are several reasons why I hold this volume in such high regard. Here are three. First, Butler-Bowden has assembled excerpts and focused on key points from a wide variety of works which include (with authors listed in alphabetical order, as in the book) Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick, Andrew Carnegie's Autobiography, Jim Collins' Good to Great, Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom, Thomas J. Stanley's The Millionaire Mind, Brian Tracy's Maximum Achievement, Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Sam Walton's Made in America, and Zig Ziglar's Meet You at the Top. Obviously, some of this material would also be appropriate for inclusion in 50 Self-Help Classics. Second, I appreciate the fact that Butler-Bowden also enables his readers to focus on issues of greatest interest to them by suggesting combinations of selections within these four categories: Motivation (e.g. Tom Hopkins' The Official Guide to Success) Fulfilling your potential (e.g. Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz's The Power of Full Engagement) Prosperity (e.g. Russell H. Conwell's Acres of Diamonds) Leadership (e.g. Warren Bennis' On Becoming a Leader) The diversity of Butler-Bowdon's primary sources even within the same category is indeed impressive. Third and finally, he makes clever use of a number of reader-friendly devices throughout his narrative, such as "In a nutshell," "Final comments," and a brief bio of the author at the conclusion of each selection. I also appreciate the inclusion of brief quotations wherever they are most relevant. In the Introduction, Butler-Bowdon observes that "When we think of success writing it is often the motivational classics that first come to mind, and the titles in this [volume] represent the historical development of the genre....While all of the books have been bestsellers [and many continue to be], the main criterion for their inclusion was their impact and renown, or whether they filled a niche in terms of a particular subject or person....The leaders discussed are not specific markers for your own success -- it is generally not a good idea to compare yourself to other people -- but their stories illustrate a `way' of success that anyone can follow." I agree with Butler-Bowdon that each person seeking success (however defined and measured) must assume primary responsibility for being and doing whatever is required to achieve it. However, most of those who share or are the subjects of the success "stories" in this volume have duly acknowledged the assistance provided to them along the way by family members, friends, allies, and in several instances, benefactors.

Butler-Bowdon has done most of the legwork for you. He has spent the last five years of his life researching, compiling and "nutshell"ing these classics. His list of 100 spans both his two works with 50 Success Classics and 50 Self-Help Classics and is complete in every sense. When I first looked at the cover of "50 Success Classics" (50SC) I noticed that Steven Covey's name was on the cover again. This struck me as strange because "7 Habits..." was already reviewed in 50 SHC as a self-help book and yet it returns as a success classic. On page 91, Tom explains his reasoning for the inclusion of both. "50 Self-Help Classics outlined the seven habits of the book, while this commentary goes beyond the habits themselves to explore Covey's idea of a successful person." As an avid reader of Covey I would tend to agree with the inclusion in both books. Tom did not miss the mark by highlighting one of Covey's main points; an "unchanging core of personal principles..."Overall, I tend to favor this book, simply because of the introduction; the characteristics of successful people. It establishes the reader by quoting applicable authors in the sub-categories. Both books are indispensable for finding the true jewels of the self-development genre or as Tom puts it "the literature of possibility". Even after all the efforts of Mr. Butler-Bowdon, this is still in my mind baby food. He has done all the hard work. He has chewed the food and given us the meaty morsels from the material. For true development use this book as a road map for the classics that pertain to your drive through life. That, in my opinion, is the true value of these works. The author, he isn't closed off like some. I emailed Tom and he was extremely prompt in a reply and answered my questions fully. How could a man who has been surrounding himself with such literature be any different? Buy these books to find the jewels, which will help you, chew your own food.

When I first saw the book, I presumed it would just be another motivation book. I was pleasantly wrong! 50 Success Classics has managed to gather notable wisdom concerning different aspects of success in a highly understanding manner. Its idea of gathering profound yet lucid works of wisdom is highly original. Even more is its summaries of the works. The book talks to you - not at you. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down until I finished the last page. Highly recommended.