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

Tom Butler-Bowdon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 2007

In pursuit of a better career, more money, a new direction, or a higher purpose? Millions of readers relentlessly search for the one great book that will inspire them to chart a course to personal and professional fulfillment. Tom Butler-Bowdon, best-selling author of the 50 Classics series, is back with 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Work and Life from 50 Landmark Books, a wide-ranging collection of enduring works by pioneering thinkers, philosophers, and corporate America's most powerful leaders who have shown us how to Think and Grow Rich, develop The Habits of Highly Effective People, become The One-Minute Manager, discover The Art of Worldly Wisdom, and solve the challenging puzzle of Who Moved My Cheese? From amusing and enlightening parables to the inspirational rags-to-riches stories of industrialists, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs, 50 Success Classics summarizes each industry's key ideas and clarifies how these insights and techniques promote self-growth. Learn the secrets on how to be successful by reviewing works from authors including: Horatio Alger; Warren Buffett; Andrew Carnegie; Stephen R. Covey; Spencer Johnson; Michael Dell; Henry Ford; Benjamin Franklin; John Paul Getty; Napoleon Hill & W. Clement Stone; Abraham Lincoln; Nelson Mandela; Eleanor Roosevelt; Ernest Shackleton; Sun Tzu; Sam Walton; Wallace D. Wattles; Zig Ziglar.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A magnificent tome! It would be hard for any reader NOT to get something to make their life more successful." -- Naomi Cescotto, The Australian Investors Association

"Butler-Bowdon writes with infectious enthusiasm. He's a true scholar of this type of literature." -- USA Today

"Highly readable...a smorgasbord of some of the best thinking on what success really means." -- Ken Blanchard, co-author of THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER and THE SECRET

"I can't imagine needing any other success book...every piece of wisdom you'll ever need to make your life extraordinary." -- Cheryl Richardson, author of Life Makeovers

"I only wish this book had been available years ago--it could have saved me countless hours. Very highly recommended." -- Jim Ewan, vice-president, The Speakers Association

"Incredible...the very best of success literature ever written--in one easy book that you can read and reread for years." -- Brian Tracy, author of

"Prosperity, motivation, leadership or life success...this volume will help you locate a book to guide you on your way." -- Imagine Magazine

"Timeless business lessons and personal insights...that anyone can apply to his or her own life." -- Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Contains some of the very best success literature ever written. Highly recommended. -- Dr. Catherine Ponder, Keys to Prosperity, February 2005

From the Publisher

Searching for a better career? Pursuing a new direction? Seeking a path to authentic achievement? Millions of us are drawn each year to find the one great book that will capture our imagination and inspire us to chart a course to personal and professional fulfillment. 50 SUCCESS CLASSICS is the first and only ‘bite-sized’ guide to the most important and inspiring works that have already demonstrated their power to change lives.

Following his recent bestseller 50 SELF-HELP CLASSICS, Tom Butler-Bowdon is back with this wide-ranging collection of enduring works of the literary and the legendary: pioneering thinkers, philosophers, and powerful leaders who have shown us how to "Think and Grow Rich", develop "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", become "The One-Minute Manager", solve the challenging puzzle of "Who Moved My Cheese?" and discover "The Art of Worldly Wisdom". Mapping the road to prosperity, motivation and life success, this one-of-a-kind introduction to the success classics summarizes each book’s key ideas to make clear how these timeless insights and techniques can inform, inspire, and illuminate a path to enduring achievement.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (September 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857883330
• ISBN-13: 978-1857883336
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring "stories" illustrate a "way of success that anyone can follow", September 21, 2005

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books (Paperback)

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 realizes that he is providing "only a taste of the literature (the main ideas, context, and impact of each title)" while urging his readers to "feast on the real thing." What he offers is by no means a buffet of entrepreneurial "hors d'oeuvres." On the contrary, the content is solid and skillfully presented effectively. I am convinced that many of those who read this book will then be encouraged to read (or re-read) "the real thing." If Butler-Bowdon's efforts accomplish nothing else, that will indeed be sufficient to earn the praise I think he has earned...and justly deserves.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cliff Notes for Ambitious Over-Achievers!, August 9, 2006

By 

Deborah Crawford "Writer, Trainer, Walker, Sm... (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books (Paperback)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find your Jewels, March 5, 2004

By 

C. Drews (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books (Paperback)

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.