Thousands of books have been written offering the 'secrets' to personal fulfilment and happiness. But which ones can really change your life? Tom Butler-Bowdon has sorted through the bewildering array of choices to bring 50 of the most important life-changing ideas together in one book.

A tremendous resource for anyone seeking a 'bite-sized' look at the philosophies of many self-help legends, including sacred scriptures of different traditions. Because the range and depth of sources are so huge, the cumulative reading effect is amazing. Alternatively, it educates and edifies, affirms and inspires. Often both. — Stephen R Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

From the second-century meditations of Marcus Aurelius to Stephen Covey, Buddha to Deepak Chopra, and Thoreau to Ayn Rand, Butler-Bowdon summarises each writer's key ideas. 50 Self-Help Classics clarifies how insights from these legendary works can educate and motivate anyone searching for the inspiration to make a meaningful life change. The classics examined represent the very best of self-help — works that have captured the imagination of millions and inspired readers everywhere to follow their dreams. The writing is penetrating, insightful, and intelligent. If you want to learn how to change your thoughts, how to find your best direction in life and accomplish it, how to become happier, how to change your perspective, if you want to explore yourself and make a difference in the world, you'll find more than enough juicy nuggets here to satisfy. The 50 Classics concept is based on a belief that every subject or genre contains at least 50 books that encapsulate its knowledge and wisdom. By creating a list of those landmark or representative titles, then providing commentaries that note the key points and assess the importance of each work, awareness of these key writings is spread to readers who may not otherwise have known of their existence.

Butler-Bowdon has summarized some of the most remarkable thoughts — thoughts with wisdom I must add — that will enlighten and lead the reader to understand the very nature of human nature. It will soon become the 51st self-help classic! — Warren Bennis, author of On Becoming A Leader

50 Self-Help Classics: Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life, From Timeless Sages to Contemporary Gurus An introduction to the self-help phenomenon with list and thematic guide to the best works. 50 commentaries on 50 classic works: the story of each book's writing, their life-changing ideas, their impact, representative quotes, the meaning of each book 'in a nutshell', and cross-referencing to similar classics. Named as one of the 'Ten best self-help guides' along with titles by Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie and Miguel Ruiz, 50 Self-Help Classics was the winner of the 2004 Benjamin Franklin Award. Translated into 16 languages, sold in 25 countries, Tom Butler-Bowdon is recognised as an expert in personal development literature. His 50 Classics series has been hailed as the definitive guide to “the literature of possibility". Available to buy from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk

50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom for Life and Work from 50 Landmark Books Following up on the success of his bestseller, 50 Self-Help Classics, Tom Butler-Bowdon is back with this wide-ranging collection of enduring works of the literary and the legendary: pioneering thinkers, philosophers, and corporate America's most powerful leaders who have shown us how to Think and Grow Rich, develop The Habits of Highly Effective People, become The One-Minute Manager, discover The Art of Worldly Wisdom, and solve the challenging puzzle of Who Moved My Cheese? From amusing and enlightening parables to the inspirational rags-to-riches stories of industrialists, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs — Henry Ford to John Paul Getty, Andrew Carnegie to Donald Trump, Michael Dell to Sam Walton — 50 Success Classics summarises each work's key ideas to make clear how these timeless insights and techniques have informed, inspired and illuminated a path to achievement and success. Available to buy from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk

50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books on Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose Tom Butler-Bowdon takes the personal fulfilment journey to its conclusion by exploring the literature of spiritual awakening. He captures the diversity of life journeys that span centuries, continents, spiritual traditions and secular beliefs: from the historical The Book of Chuang Tzu to modern insight from the Kabbalah, from St Augustine’s Confessions to Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, from Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements to Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life. The first and only bite-sized guide to the very best in spiritual writing, this one-of-a-kind collection includes personal diaries and compelling biographies of such diverse figures as Gandhi, Malcolm X, and Black Elk; Eastern philosophers and gurus including Krishnamurti, Yogananda, Chögyam Trungpa and Shunryu Suzuki; and Western saints and mystics such as St Francis of Assisi, Hermann Hesse and Simone Weil. Available to buy from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk

50 Psychology Classics: Who We Are, How We Think, What We Do If you have ever been fascinated by the human mind and what makes people behave the way they do, this book is for you. In a journey that spans 50 books, hundreds of ideas and over a century in time, 50 Psychology Classics looks at some of the most intriguing questions relating to what motivates us, what makes us feel and act in certain ways, how our brains work, and how we create a sense of self. 50 Psychology Classics explores writings from iconic figures such as Freud, Adler, Jung, skinner, James, Piaget and Pavlov, but also highlights the work of contemporary thinkers such as Gardner, Gilbert, Goleman and Seligman. To survive and thrive, we have to know who and what we are, and to be canny about the motivations of others. The common route to this knowledge is life experience, but we can advance our appreciation of the subject more quickly through reading. 50 Psychology Classics will further your understanding of human nature and yourself. Available to buy from amazon.com and amazon.co.uk

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You hear it from motivational speakers all the time: Attitude is everything. Is that true? No, says internationally best-selling author John C Maxwell. But that doesn't mean that attitude means nothing. The right attitude can't make you something you're not, but it can enhance everything you have. The Difference Maker — Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset