The Go-Getter [Hardcover]

Peter B. Kyne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1949

Go-getter

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Rinehart & Company, Inc.; Thirty-sixth Printing edition (1949)
• ASIN: B0010PM1NS
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,449,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic, Quick Read, Great Business Short Story, December 12, 2004

By 

Chief Exec - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Go-Getter: A Story That Tells You How To Be One (Hardcover)

This one needs to be added to every young business person's essential reading list. Though written in the 1920's, it does not feel dated, and its lessons and examples are still applicable today.

The young character in the book, Bill Peck, has just returned from the war and is determined to get a job with the leading lumber company. He displays confidence, and that's the first lesson in the book. He refuses to take no for an answer when rejected by two of the top executives of the company. He takes his case directly to the founder of the company, who is impressed by his determination. Bill's confidence is demonstrated by the fact that he had his business cards printed before he had even spoken to the company.

The second lesson is execution. Bill doesn't just throw out empty promises, but promptly delivers when turned loose in the field. It does not matter that he has been given an inferior, difficult to sell product. He finds a way to make it irresitible to his customers.

Finally, the company's founder decides to give Bill the final test, asking him to "deliver the blue vase." Bill shows his resourcefulness and refusal to quit in fulfilling this quest.

Though you can knock this book out in just one sitting, its lessons will stay with you throughout your career.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Go Getter: A Parable of Thuggery, September 7, 2010

By 

J. Carpenter (New York) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Go-Getter (Kindle Edition)

I realize this is the minority opinion, especially for a book with a price tag of $0.00, still in all, I found "The Go Getter" a very strange book.

The protagonist is a one-legged, 1 1/2-armed ex army sniper who lands a job with a lumber company. The guy clearly can sell ice cubes to Eskimos but as we go deeper into the story we find there's a bit of Joe Pesci's character in "Goodfella's" in him. To achieve his ends he bullies, threatens to beat the crud out of those who stand in his way, and at one point considers robbery to fulfill a promise to his boss.

And I thought Kevin Trudeau was extreme.

Stick with "A Message to Garcia". The Kindle edition will set you back $.95 but it has one thing going for it the other doesn't come close to: it's a classic of the genre. You don't have to plunge for this, of course, but as the protagonist of "The Go Getter" might say, "Listen, chum. You're going to download this or by God, I'll beat you with my stump and throw you off a bridge!"

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top five books I have ever read!!!, September 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Go-Getter: A Story That Tells You How To Be One (Hardcover)

There have been times in my life when I was behind the eight ball and I remembered the story of the go-getter. It has gotten me through many a tough situation.

It is not a very long book. If it takes you more than an hour to read, then you have reading problems. However, it is the story that makes the book amazing.

I have read hundreds of books, and I would rank only four or five of them five stars, and this is one of them.

If you want to succeed at something then read this book first. You will not regret it!!!