bestselling paperback

50 SELF-HELP CLASSICS

50 INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE - FROM TIMELESS SAGES TO CONTEMPORARY GURUS

Tom Butler-Bowdon

"A tremendous resource book for anyone seeking a 'bite-sized' look at the philosophies of many self-help legends, including sacred scriptures of different traditions. Because the range and depth of the sources are so huge, the cumulative reading effect is amazing. Alternatively, it educates and edifies, affirms and inspires. Often both."
Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

"The best ideas in the field have now been collected by Tom Butler-Bowdon in a book of 50 self-help classics. It presents a useful historical perspective and there are some gems. You would expect the most successful self-help books to pander to instincts of self-promotion and self-preservation. But you do not find them much in Mr Butler-Bowdon's collection."
Richard Donkin, Financial Times, May 2003

Thousands of self-help and personal success books have been written. Each has offered a "secret" to personal power, fulfilment and well-being. But which are the all-time classics? Which ones really can change your life? Ranging from cutting-edge academic psychology to the wisdom of ancient philosophy and religion, and to the proven techniques of business and motivational gurus, 50 Self-Help Classics guides you to the key titles in the field, compiling hundreds of life-changing ideas into one book.

This is the first and only guide to personal development literature - to works that have captured the imagination of millions, and which can inspire you to follow your dream. 50 Self-Help Classics provides commentary assessing the impact of each classic and summarises each classic's key ideas, allowing the reader to make an informed choice from the bewildering array of books on the market.

A practical, inspirational and interesting guide to an area of literature that finally deserves to be taken seriously, this book covers, among others, Marcus Aurelius, M Scott Peck, Dale Carnegie, Deepak Chopra, Stephen Covey, the Dalai Lama, Benjamin Franklin, John Gray, Susan Jeffers, Phil McGraw, Anthony Robbins, Lao-Tzu, Marianne Williamson...

Tom Butler-Bowdon has provided an excellent tool for "personal reengineering" - ideal for anyone contemplating career change or re-orientation.

"Butler-Bowdon has summarised some of the most remarkable thoughts - thoughts with wisdom, I must add - that will enlighten and lead the reader to understand the very nature of human nature. It will soon become the 51st classic."
Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business at the University of California and bestselling writer on leadership.

Tom Butler-Bowdon lives in the Uk and Australia where he runs a self-help classics website, http://www.butler-bowdon.com. He is also the author of a forthcoming book, 50 Success Classics.