The shelf

Books and talks

36 records, each with a source for the date and a place to read or listen.

1. 01 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey · 1989 Covey's book of seven habits, from private character out to working with other people.
2. 02 Acres of Diamonds Russell H. Conwell · 1915 Conwell's famous lecture, arguing that the opportunity people chase is often already around them.
3. 03 The Art of Exceptional Living Jim Rohn · 1993 Rohn's spoken program on personal development, still sold by Nightingale-Conant.
4. 04 The Art of Money Getting P. T. Barnum Barnum's short list of rules for earning and keeping money.
5. 05 As a Man Thinketh James Allen · 1913 edition A very short book on the idea that character and circumstance follow the thoughts a person keeps.
6. 06 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin · 1791 Franklin's own account of learning a trade, forming habits, and making his way.
7. 07 Awaken the Giant Within Tony Robbins · 1991 Robbins's large book of decisions, beliefs, and physical practices for changing a life.
8. 08 Eat That Frog! Brian Tracy · 2001 Tracy's short book on doing the hard task first instead of hiding in easier work.
9. 09 The Gospel of Wealth, and Other Timely Essays Andrew Carnegie · 1900 Carnegie's essays on wealth, including the argument that a rich person should give surplus money away with care.
10. 10 The Greatest Salesman in the World Og Mandino · 1968 Mandino's parable of scrolls a salesperson is told to read until the habits stick.
11. 11 How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling Frank Bettger · 1949 copy Bettger's field notes on enthusiasm, questions, and keeping records of sales calls.
12. 12 How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie · 1936 Carnegie's book of practical rules for getting along with people and leading them.
13. 13 The Law of Success Napoleon Hill · 1928 copy Hill's long course on success, the book that came before Think and Grow Rich.
14. 14 Lead the Field Earl Nightingale Nightingale's longer audio program, sold by the company he co-founded, expanding the ideas in The Strangest Secret.
15. 15 The Magic of Believing Claude M. Bristol · 1948 Bristol's book on belief and suggestion as forces that steer what a person attempts.
16. 16 The Magic of Thinking Big David J. Schwartz · 1959 Schwartz's book on raising the size of the goals and actions a person will attempt.
17. 17 Man's Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl · 1959 Frankl's account of the concentration camps and the idea that a person can choose a stance toward suffering.
18. 18 Maximum Achievement Brian Tracy · 1993 Tracy's broader success manual, covering goals, time, and personal strategy in one volume.
19. 19 Meditations Marcus Aurelius The private notes of a Roman emperor, used for centuries as a manual of steadiness.
20. 20 A Message to Garcia Elbert Hubbard · 1899 Hubbard's short preachment praising the person who carries out an assignment without stalling.
21. 21 Outwitting the Devil Napoleon Hill · 2011 A Hill manuscript published long after it was written, framed as an argument with the habits that stall people.
22. 22 The Power of Positive Thinking Norman Vincent Peale · 1952 Peale's widely read book of faith and practical drills for a more confident mind.
23. 23 The Power of Your Subconscious Mind Joseph Murphy · 1963 Murphy's book of drills for planting an aim in what he calls the subconscious mind.
24. 24 Psycho-Cybernetics Maxwell Maltz · 1960 Maltz's book on self-image, written by a plastic surgeon who noticed that changing a face did not always change a life.
25. 25 The Psychology of Selling Brian Tracy · 2004 Tracy's book of methods for the inner game of selling and for moving a sale along.
26. 26 The Richest Man in Babylon George S. Clason · 1926 copy Clason's parables about saving, paying yourself first, and learning a skill.
27. 27 The Science of Being Well Wallace D. Wattles · 1910 The health book Wattles published the same year as The Science of Getting Rich, from the same Holyoke press.
28. 28 The Science of Getting Rich Wallace D. Wattles · 1910 Wattles's short book treating a way of thinking as a method for getting rich.
29. 29 Secrets of Closing the Sale Zig Ziglar · 1984 Ziglar's long book on asking for the sale and handling the moment people hesitate.
30. 30 See You at the Top Zig Ziglar · 1977 edition Ziglar's book-length pep talk on attitude, goals, and self-image.
31. 31 Self-Reliance Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson's essay on trusting your own thought instead of borrowing your opinions.
32. 32 Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness Jim Rohn · 1988 Rohn's short book of strategies for money and for the kind of life he thought was worth having.
33. 33 The Strangest Secret Earl Nightingale · 1956 Nightingale's 1956 recording on why people with similar ability end up in different places.
34. 34 Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone · 1960 Hill and Stone's book on attitude as a working tool, not a mood.
35. 35 Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill · 1937 The short book that put Hill's success method in front of a mass audience.
36. 36 You Were Born Rich Bob Proctor · 1984 Proctor's book on wealth as a way of thinking, from a teacher who started with Napoleon Hill.