| This book, heralded as the first and only 'bite-sized' | | | | Furthermore, each book section also has an 'In a |
| introduction to the classic works of 'life transformation,' | | | | Nutshell' section that distills the book's message down |
| is long overdue. Samuel Smiles wrote "Self- Help" in | | | | to a couple of sentences. Very handy. |
| 1859, but the term only became widely used in the | | | | My interest was first drawn to Butler-Bowdon's views |
| twentieth century. The idea of self-help, however, has | | | | on the books that first introduced me to self-help and |
| been around for centuries. From religious works dating | | | | that I still hold in high esteem: Dale Carnegie's "How to |
| from thousands of years before Christ, such as the | | | | Win Friends and Influence People" and Maxwell Maltz's |
| The Bhagavad-Gita, to modern American books such | | | | "Psycho-Cybernetics." He also holds them in high |
| as Martin Seligman's "Learned Optimism," | | | | esteem. In fact, Butler Bowdon, respecting the theme |
| Butler-Bowdon covers what he calls the theme of | | | | of positive thinking that pervades the self-help field, has |
| 'refusal to accept common unhappiness.' | | | | very few negative comments on any of the books. |
| Butler-Bowdon reveals the popularity of the self-help | | | | After all, he chose them as the outstanding works in |
| book: he claims his selection of 50 classics has sold | | | | the field. But the joy of reading this book comes from |
| over 150 million copies, and the total number for the | | | | not only being reintroduced to books one enjoyed |
| genre has reached more than half a billion copies. The | | | | years ago, but also from the chance to read about |
| book is divided into six themes, from The Power of | | | | less mainstream works, from ancient volumes such as |
| Thought to Making a Difference. Such divisions are of | | | | The Dhammapada, Buddha's teachings, to recent |
| course highly arbitrary. David Burns' "Feeling Good: The | | | | books such as Alain de Botton's "How Proust Can |
| New Mood Therapy" is listed in The Power of Thought | | | | Change Your Life." |
| category, while Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "Flow: The | | | | The self-help field is so large that you soon realize that |
| Psychology of Optimal Experience" is listed under | | | | without this book you could spend so much time |
| Secrets of Happiness. Broadly speaking, all the books | | | | reading that you would not have time to put all that |
| are about our search for happiness. 50 Self-help | | | | good advice into practice. Another realization--many of |
| Classics deserves to be a favorite among the millions | | | | the authors repeat the same ideas: be positive, realize |
| of self-help enthusiasts who are still looking for the | | | | that change means action rather than just thought, |
| book that will explain the keys to happiness, but are | | | | develop goals, be optimistic, yet realistic, and don't |
| overwhelmed by the avalanche of new titles every | | | | worry about trivial matters. However, the examples |
| year that claim to do just that. Butler-Bowdon has | | | | the authors give often give their books a unique |
| done everyone a service by providing a three or four | | | | perspective. After reading this book, you should be in a |
| page synopsis of each of the most influential self-help | | | | happy, positive frame of mind. If not, read it again. It |
| volumes and biographical details of the authors. | | | | really does contain the keys to happiness. |