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Think and Grow Rich

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Think and Grow Rich
book cover with title and art
Original Hardcover
AuthorNapoleon Hill
Original titleThink and Grow Rich
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPersonal-success
Self-help
Philosophy
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherThe Ralston Society
Publication date
1937
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book)
Pages238 pages
ISBN978-1-60459-187-3
OCLC156886959

Think and Grow Rich was written in 1937 by Napoleon Hill, promoted as a personal development and self-improvement book. Hill writes that he was inspired by a suggestion from business magnate and (later) philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.[1] While the book's title and much of the text concerns increased income, the author insists that the philosophy taught in the book can help people succeed in any line of work, to do and be anything they can imagine.[2]

The book was first published during the Great Depression.[3] At the time of Hill's death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold more than 20 million copies, and by 2015 over 100 million copies had been sold worldwide.[4][5] It remains the biggest seller of Napoleon Hill's books. BusinessWeek magazine's Best-Seller List ranked it the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was published.[6] Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell's A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List. [7]

Content

The text of Think and Grow Rich is based on Hill's earlier work The Law of Success, said to be the result of more than twenty years of study of many individuals who had amassed personal fortunes.[3]

Hill studied their habits and evolved 16 "laws" to be applied to achieve success. Think and Grow Rich condenses them, providing the reader with 13 principles in the form of a "Philosophy of Achievement".[3] Mark Hansen has said time has shown that two of the laws/principles are most important: 1) The MasterMind principle/process and 2) "Know very clearly where you want to go."

The book asserts that desire, faith and persistence can propel one to great heights if one can suppress negative thoughts and focus on long-term goals.

The 13 "steps" listed in the book are: 1. Desire 2. Faith 3. Autosuggestion 4. Specialized Knowledge 5. Imagination 6. Organized Planning 7. Decision 8. Persistence 9. Power of the Master Mind 10. The Mystery of Sex Transmutation 11. The Subconscious Mind 12. The Brain 13. The Sixth Sense

There are several courses created from the Think and Grow Rich content and principles.

Earl Nightingale co-created with Napoleon Hill a 30-minute audio summary of the book titled "Think and Grow Rich: Instant Motivator".

Editions

Napoleon Hill holding his book Think and Grow Rich
  • Hill, Napoleon (1953). Think and Grow Rich. Cleveland, Ohio: The Ralston Publishing Co. p. 381.[8]
  • Hill, Napoleon (1960). Think and Grow Rich. Greenwich, Conn.: Fawcett Crest. ISBN 0-449-21492-3.
  • Hill, Napoleon (2004). Think and Grow Rich : The 21st-Century Edition, Revised and Updated. High Roads Media. ISBN 1-932429-23-9.
  • Hill, Napoleon; Cornwell, Ross (2004). Think and Grow Rich!: The Original Version, Restored and Revised. San Diego, CA: Aventine Press. ISBN 1-59330-200-2.

Original version

The first edition of Think and Grow Rich was released in March 1937. Hill claimed that despite limited promotion, the original print run of 5,000 sold out in six weeks, at $2.50 a copy, and that another 10,000 copies sold out again in another six weeks. The third print run totaled 20,000.[9] W. Clement Stone wrote: "One of the most important days in my life was the day I began to read Think and Grow Rich in 1937.[10]

1960 Fawcett Crest edition

Think and Grow Rich was revised in 1960, and published by Crest Book, Fawcett Publications. The revised edition had a testimonial from W. Clement Stone on the inside front cover page: “More men and women have been motivated to achieve success because of reading Think and Grow Rich than by any other book written by a living author.” [11] In 1987, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton hosted a TV infomercial that sold the 1960 version with an audio cassette version of the book (the audio cassettes contained an introduction and conclusion by Tarkenton and supplemental study guides).[12] In the introduction, Tarkenton stated that he believed Think and Grow Rich to be "the greatest most honored formula for success that has ever been developed."[13]

Notes

  1. ^ Briley, Richard Gaylord, 1995, The Seven Spiritual Secrets Of Success, p. 151, Thomas Nelson Publishers, ISBN 0-7852-8083-9
  2. ^ Hill, Napoleon, 1960, Think and Grow Rich. [Revised Edition, p. 19], Fawcett Books, New York, ISBN 0-449-21492-3
  3. ^ a b c A Lifetime of Riches: The Biography of Napoleon Hill, Michael J. Ritt and Kirk Landers (Revised Edition 1995) (ISBN 0-525-94146-0)
  4. ^ "Think and Grow Rich". Napoleon Hill Foundation. 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
  5. ^ AP, November 10, 1970, 'Grow Rich' Author Dies
  6. ^ The BusinessWeek Best-Seller List, BusinessWeek magazine, January 15, 2007
  7. ^ Maxwell, John A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List, March 2008
  8. ^ Copyright MCMXXXVII by Napoleon Hill, All Rights Reserved and Transferred, March, MCMXLI, to Ralston Publishing Co.
  9. ^ Don Green (2008). The Next Chapter in Personal Development (digital video). The Napoleon Hill Foundation, The Millionaire Mentor Corp.
  10. ^ Hill, Napoleon, 1990, The Think and Grow Rich Action Pack, Plume, ISBN 0-452-26660-2
  11. ^ Hill, Napoleon, 1960, Think and Grow Rich. [inside front cover page], Fawcett Books, New York, ISBN 0-449-21492-3
  12. ^ Partners in Time: Guthy-Renker, Charles Wesley Orton, Response Magazine, May 2001
  13. ^ Think and Grow Rich audio cassettes 1A, 8B [introduction and conclusion by Fran Tarkenton], 1988, Napoleon Hill Foundation, Guthy-Renker Corporation

Further reading

  • Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude, by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone. ISBN 1-4165-4159-4
  • Earl Nightingale Reads Think and Grow Rich [The essence of Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich], by Earl Nightingale. ISBN 1-4558-1011-8
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