This book, published in 1937 is the acknowledged template for modern self-development work.

Napoleon Hill, spurred to create this work by the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie in 1908, spent 25 years initially following introductions Carnegie provided him and he went on to interview 500 of the most famous and influential figures of the early 20^th Century. The result was this book which has been in continuous print since, Think and Grow Rich.

Hill sought to understand what made these successful people tick, not just financially or politically, or in whatever arena they shone, but as people. On what was the the effectiveness of people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, and many such others based? 

Napoleon Hill composed the book into 13 chapters. Each chapter contains a secret. One I recall that came from Carnegie himself is to sit silently for a few seconds and listen for the little voice in your head before making any big or important decision. This was one of Carnegie’s principles of effective decision-making, and it is a device I have used myself ever since reading about it. 

Hill maintained that altogether the 13 Chapters contained a secret wisdom that was not overtly stated in the pages of the book, but if you were ready to digest it you would understand what it is.

This is the basis for the less nuanced, cult film of 2006, called The Secret, and the popular movement it spawned. For my money it was Hill who unlocked the “secret,” couched in a more practical manner, in language that you need to read between the lines to connect the dots and fully grasp the depth of its message.

Having read this book, I was convinced that I had found the source material for the modern self-development movement revisited in Bandler and Grinder’s genre-defining work nearly half a century later.

It is an unmissable book for those interested in personal development and self-fulfilment.