50 Success Classics Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books

From the inspirational rags-to-riches stories of such entrepreneurs as Andrew Carnegie, Warren Buffett, and Sam Walton to the life lessons of role models Sir Ernest Shackleton, Eleanor Roosevelt and Nelson Mandela, 50 SUCCESS CLASSICS goes back to the basics to find the classic books on staying true to ourselves and fulfilling our potential. Practical yet philosophical, sensible yet stimulating, the 50 all-time classic books featured here span biography and business, psychology and ancient philosophy, exploring the rich and fertile ground of books that have helped millions of people achieve prosperity in their work and personal lives.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good Short Read
It gives brief summary of each book, which can later be used to buy specific books that you want to read entirely.

5 Stars I strongly believe the three books in the author’s trilogy are really an intellectual treasure!
50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life, From Timeless Sages to Contemporary Gurus

50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books

50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books on Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose

In the first instance, I have bought these three books in one go because I have been fascinated by what the author had done: He has practised what is known as the highest level of reading. Mortimer Adler, in his classic book, ‘How to Read a Book’, written in the forties, had called it ’syntopical reading’. It’s actually reading a number of books of the same genre, more or less simultaneously & then synthesising the key points.

Secondly, the author, who is a graduate of the London School of Economics, somehow impresses me with his ability to synthesise the big picture of each of the books that made up the entire collection. For apparently a left-brain thinker i.e. economist by training, this has been a very remarkable feat, as his synthesising endeavour has been essentially more of a right-brain activity. Well, I must compliment him for a job well done.

Before my final decision on buying the three books, I have been thrilled by the prospect of reading three books, which in turn will give me access to one hundred & fifty books.

For each book, the author has very artfully as well as skillfully selected fifty books to made up one collection. I may not agree with his selection, but I must admit that I can’t default him at all.

Take the first book, ‘50 Self Help Classics’, with timeless wisdom, as an example. Out of the fifty books he has selected, I have read only seventeen of them. I have those books in my personal library.

For the second book, ‘50 Success Classics’, I have read & still own sixteen of the landmark books on winning wisdom selected by the author.

For the third & final book, ‘50 Spiritual Classics’, covering timeless sages & contemporary gurus, I have read only & still own three of them, namely ‘The Tao of Physics’, ‘The Way of the Peaceful Warrior’ & ‘Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’.

For those books I have read previously, totaling thirty-six of them (probably stretching over three decades of my life), & upon revisiting them again in the trilogy, which actually took me one whole weekend to complete, starting on Friday evening & finishing on Sunday night, I must say that the seemingly marathon reading experience has been very refreshing & uplifting. It has also given me the opportunity to check & verify whether the author has captured the key ideas or essence of those books. I don’t think I can find fault with the author in this respect.

Not only that, in the first book, I am very impressed that the author has cut through the bewildering array of choices to bring the essential ideas, insights, and techniques from the `literature of possibilities’. In works that span the world’s religions, cultures, philosophies, & centuries, he summarizes each work’s key ideas & finally makes clear how these legendary classics can educate, affirm, & motivate anyone searching for the inspiration to make a meaningful life change.

In the second book, the author is back with his wide-ranging collection of enduring works from pioneering thinkers, philosophers, & powerful leaders, like Napoleon Hill, Stephen Covey, Kenneth Blanchard, Baltasar Gracian & Christopher Maurer; from the inspirational rags to riches stories of such entrepreneurs, like Andrew Carnegie, Warren Buffet & Sam Walton to the leadership lessons of Sir Ernest Shackleton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln & Nelson Mandela, just to name a few.

In the third book, I believe the author has captured the very best in spiritual writing: They include personal diaries & compelling biographies of such diverse figures as Gandhi, Malcolm X, & Black Elk & Eastern philosophers & gurus including Krishnamurti, Yogananda, Ch