50 Self-Help Classics

By: Tom Butler-Bowdon

Narrated by: Jack Garrett

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Discover the books that have already changed the lives of millions. This award-winning, unabridged guide to the "literature of possibility" surveys 50 of the all-time classics, giving you their key ideas, insights, and applications, everything you need to know to start benefiting from these legendary works.

From the ancient teachings of Buddha and The Bhagavad-Gita, to the early American wisdom of Emerson and Thoreau, to such contemporary giants as Wayne Dyer, Joseph Campbell, Daniel Goleman, and Norman Vincent Peale, these are the most influential thinkers and motivators spanning the world's religions, cultures, philosophies, and centuries.

As you hear more about the landmark works of such blockbuster best-selling authors as Deepak Chopra, Phil McGraw, Anthony Robbins, Marianne Williamson, and more, you will learn how to:

• Change your thoughts to change your life
• Set goals and follow your dreams
• Appreciate your depth
• Transform yourself and your world

©2006 Tom Butler-Bowdon (P)2006 Gildan Media Corp

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...

105 of 109 people found this review helpful

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.

18 of 18 people found this review helpful

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.

29 of 30 people found this review helpful

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!!

21 of 22 people found this review helpful

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!

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

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.

43 of 54 people found this review helpful

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 of 2 people found this review helpful

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.

19 of 27 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 6 people found this review helpful

TERRIBLE!

I hate that I wasted a credit on this!

9 of 38 people found this review helpful

A book review not a summary.

I would stress this isn?t a summary of the 50 best self-help books, more a review of the ideas behind them, about the authors, and the impact the books had. Felt the author must have been restricted due to copyright reasons and had been briefed to describe the books without out mentioning any of the practical wisdom within them!

Any ideas seemed to be described on a more philosophical level, which wasn?t particularly useful, & not explained clearly in the short slot allocated for each book. I didn?t recognize the books I had already read in full.

On a plus side I came away with ideas for further reading.

19 of 21 people found this review helpful

Great Overviews

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It's always going to cause a bit of division when one does the whole 'top 50 thing'. Where is Jim Rohn? Where is Jack Canfield?....I could go on and on as to the obvious omissions here. Nevertheless the 50 chosen are a great introduction to the books (some old favorites and new ones here!) - and more importantly the people and lives behind them- that can and do change lives for the better. It's true that this is very general and at times some of the obvious messages in the books are omitted. Nevertheless, there is enough to give the listener of good gist of the key ideas/ concepts. My only other gripe is that whilst very clearly read, the reader does sound a bit like a used-car salesman which can (falsely) seem to limit the authenticity.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Priceless Knowledge

This book has so much to offer. It's perfect for listening to on the go and helps me to feel centered and be inspired, no matter where I am, or what I am doing. I really can't recommend it enough. Many of my friends and family are buying copies after seeing the positive impact it has had on me.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent summary

Read a few of these books already.Ideal to have this distilled in this way as many of the themes are common to all of these books

interesting and intriguing concepts to examine.

You will find it hard NOT to take anything away from such an array of the finest self help books in this collection. The most valuable thing about having it in audio form is that you can revisit sections which are most meaningful to you to get a deeper understanding of chosen concepts that can guide you in your self help exploration. This in turn, tantalising your taste buds, may lead you to purchase specific books; continuing some teachings. Enjoy and be enlightened.