Surprisingly Interesting

I expected this book to be a "Cliff Notes" for the big name Self Help Books, I didn't expect it to be so interesting. Not only are books and people I never expected included (the Bible, Ben Franklin, Marcus Aurelius), the historical perspectives and background into the author's lives made this a very accessable jaunt through the Philosophy of the past few millenium.

The author does give you a pretty good overview of the "Essence" of each book, as well as the points of both the critics and fans of the book. I really apreciated the historical insight - I never realized Dale Carnegy's "How to Make Friends and Influence People" was ground breaking for his time. The biographys of the authors are well done too - I'm not big into Louise Hay's "New Age" healing, but I have to admit I have more respect for her after hearing the things she's overcome in her life.

One of the most thought-provoking points of the book was in the introduction. Yes, it seems like we're swamped with self-help books these days - but the author points out that we're also facing a dizzying array of options and freedom that our ancestors never imagined. There's no shame in taking advantage of as much self-help as we can get...

110 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Fantastic, all the way through

This book introduces a variety of concepts, from Neurolinguistic Programming, to Buddhism, to habits of effective people, and on and on. I absolutely love it. It makes me excited to read so many more books and has helped me become familiar with the main teachings of more authors. I definitely recommend it.

20 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A great resource

The 50 success classics as well as the 50 self-help classics and the 50 psychology classics are all worthwhile for the reader who wants a quality overview of the subjects.

I found that Tom Butler-Bowden included a good balance of personal observations along with the core details and excerpts from the individual books covered without injecting an overt personal bias. These books have increased my reading list, but with a clarity and focus to read the books that most interest me. These books are not just a collection of excerpts from others' writings. They include background information on the authors and the times and circumstances surrounding the writings. These books are entertaining and informative by themselves; but I think anyone who truly has an interest in their subject matter will find them to be useful resources as well as shortcuts to a greater understanding of the subjects.

I highly recommend these books in both their printed and audio forms. The audio versions are read by professional narrators with engaging voices that add to the pleasure of the listening experience. I can't recommend these books enough for anyone interested in learning more of the human experience through the insight from some of the greatest minds.

31 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A decent book!

I would have to read again because there was so much information, and it did jump around just enough to help me dabble in all the greats. It is a hard task to take on, I mean 50 self help classics bundled into one ten hour session. Kudos!

11 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Must-have for anyone interested in Self-Help Books

This one is the best purchase I've made on audible.com to this date. I enjoy reading a variety of Self-Help / Motivational books, but with as much as there is out there today, you often just don't know where to start. This audio gives you an introduction to many fascinating books I would have never thought about picking up before and lets you get past the ones you don't enjoy in minutes. There are some recurring themes in some books and some basic happiness principles suddenly become clear, others I want to explore further. Everyone will have different favorites, but I can see why some of these books have topped the best seller lists for many years running. Some are already on my bookshelf, but maybe I wasn't ready for them when I bought them years ago, after listening to this, I am ready to revisit them!!

22 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Dont waste your time/money

All this audiobook offers is a synopis of each of 50 titles in a very dry and uninteresting style. While this book might be okay for students of the material, for people looking for 50 (or more) ideas and thoughts, it is a waste.

44 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Great reference of references!

This a must-listen title for anyone who would like to learn the basics and fundamentals of the Self-Help movement!

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Waste of time

This is 50 non-critical book reports. There is no mention of the good vs bad, so all books only get a simple thumbs up. The author is so vague on so many books it is unlikely that he read very many of them. More than half the books reviewed are not even self help books, such as the bible, bhagavad gita, and many books so distant from the genre I can't even remember them. If one review is too horrible you can't just fast forward to the next because there are no chapters and every review sounds the same. To make matters worse, the book wastes most of its time discussing when the book was written and trivial details about the authors. This book WILL NOT give self help tips, WILL NOT give an honest portrayal of any book and will RARELY tell you what the book is about or why you should care. The narrator is below par but not unbearable.

22 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Not worth the credit used

What would have made 50 Self-Help Classics better?

This seems to me like a commercial for each book. Does not actually offer insight into the books it represents.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Wonderfully insightful...

I bought 6 titles based on his refrence on them. It is uplifting, to glimpse these writers knowledge.