Hill Books

I love the Harry Potter series, but I was unsure of the audiobooks. Jim Dale really brings J.K. Rowling's books to life. He doesn't read--he performs. I would recommend them to anyone!

The first time I picked up this book, the first in the Harry Potter series, it was with great hesitation. Firstly, it had been a few years since I had done much reading for pleasure, so I was out of practice. Secondly, and more importantly, I had heard a great deal of hype about the series in the media, which automatically made me feel that the books were probably overrated--and I didn't want to be disappointed. In the end, around the same time the film version of this book was released, two of my close friends convinced me to give the series a try, and lent me the first book, which I read shortly thereafter.

Within a week, I had purchased and read the rest of the series (at the time, books 1-4), and was itching with anticipation for book 5. I have since purchased and read the entire series, and just recently decided to reread them all in one go.

So what makes Harry Potter so magical? For me, it was the bare simplicity of the central premise of the series that drew me in instantly. Who hasn't dreamed of having some magical powers to spice up life a bit? Not that magical powers are unique to Harry Potter; far from it, in fact. But it's much harder to really relate to grand tales of epic battles in faraway, long ago kingdoms like Tolkein's Middle Earth or so many others that have followed. What Harry Potter touches is that little daydreaming part inside of us that believes that maybe magic could be real... that it might exist right alongside us in our own "real" world.

Book 1 (The Sorcerer's Stone) will always have a special place in my heart, as it really was the book that brought me back to reading (as stated above). It is imaginative, fun, and has splashes of humor throughout. It introduces many lovable characters who will be with us throughout the series, and does a brilliant job of setting up our journey. It has a comparatively light feel (the later books get progressively darker, without question), but still keeps the reader engaged with elements of mystery and rivalry to generate conflict. And, unlike some of the later books, it is a quick read.

There are, I admit, a few times when one must employ the willing suspension of disbelief (lest the grown witches and wizards of the story seem horribly inept), but otherwise, it is a charming story and a great introduction to the journey ahead. I give it 5 stars, even though it is not my favorite in the series, mostly because this one drew me in so effectively and made me want to read the rest.

What is there to say about this book. All of the books in the series were very good. Unfortunately, I loaned this one to a "friend". Had to replace it as I have them all in hardback.

Writing a review on the first Harry Potter book seems superfluous, as it must surely be one of the most reviewed books in the history of literature.

I will therefore refrain (more or less) from summarizing the story, and instead compare my first reading to my recent re-reading of the book.

In my first reading, I met a boy called Harry, who was the quintessential "uncool kid." He grew up at his aunt and uncle's because his parents were supposedly killed in a car crash when he was a baby. That was at least what Aunt and Uncle Dursley told him. Harry was the uncool kid both at home and at school, hence constantly jumping from the frying pan into the fire. At home, "the Dursleys often spoke about Harry (...) as though he wasn't there--or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug." Their spoiled son, Dudley, also did his best to bully Harry around. And at school, "Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang."

Hence, when Hogwarts' half-giant gamekeeper told Harry that he was a wizard, he could hardly believe it. And when Harry stepped through the Leaky Cauldron onto Diagon Alley, everything was new and exciting. He had not had the slightest clue that such a world existed; accordingly he saw everything through the eyes of an amazed and hungry learner.

And since I as the reader always walked by Harry's side, I, too, had this "sense of awe." Together with Harry, I marveled at Gringotts Bank and its goblins, the power of the magic wands, the magic broomsticks, Platform 9 ¾ and the steaming Hogwarts Express, the gigantic school castle, the meeting hall with its enchanted ceiling, the moving staircases, the "living" paintings, the ghosts, the owl post, and numerous other things.

Harry became like a two-year old toddler again who is excited about discovering the world, and as the reader I was a toddler with him. This is Fantasy at its best. The fact that J.K. Rowling made Harry an "outsider" to the world of magic is of great importance to the experience of the reader. Otherwise I would not have been nearly as astonished about the details of Mrs Rowling's world as I was. It also prevented the technological aspects of the Harry-Potter magic from totally disenchanting her world.

Now to my re-reading of the "Philosopher's Stone" (I still like the original British title better than the "Sorcerer's Stone").

I read the story again shortly after I finished the seventh book. Knowing where the story and characters are headed, many scenes now took on new significance. It was fascinating to read a particular passage and think: "Ah! Now I know why she put that in there." I have to complement J.K. Rowling on having planned the seven books so well.

Furthermore, reading the first book from the retrospective view of the whole series also makes a difference for the moral custodians among us. If you only read the first book, you might come away thinking that Harry Potter tries to justify the means by the end a little too much. Harry's magic is at first set into motion when he is "upset and angry", the toffee-nosed know-it-all Hermione turns likable by lying on Harry's behalf, and one of Harry's chief character traits is that of a rule breaker.

Aside from the point that novels--including juvenile ones--don't have to portray their main characters as saints, the series has, in fact, turned out to be of great moral depth. Given Harry's final moral choices at the end of Book VII, Book I can now be seen as the beginning of a "Bildungsroman." That is, a Coming Of Age Story in which Harry goes through all the stages of childhood and adolescence, to finally arrive at moral, social, and psychological maturity.

If that is not an ideal way of making teenagers aware of their own journey to maturity, I don't know what is.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

Well, This book and the whole Harry Potter Series is excelent, I love them. I'm currently thinking if I want to get the last Audio Books before the movies. I love the movies but books will always be better (although the first three movies I think are almost as good as the books). I did not give this 5 stars because I've heard the Audio Books by Stephen Fry (not sure if the spelling is right ;-P ). I have to say, in my humble opinion, Fry's voice is more grown up as a narrator and his character voices are excellent. His voice sounds over all more respectfull and apropiate. Jim Dale has done his version for the american audience which doesn't mean it's bad, but I like things in their original state. If a movie is made in the US, England, Mexico, or Spain, I usualy prefer it as it came out first. But that is my opinion. Listen to a sample of the Audio Book by each of the readers before you buy.

except for the Bible, this is the best.
It is the full and undiluted version from the first english translation.
read it, learn it,live it.
j

The book is excelent reading but please get a different version.
This version only has 580 or so pages where as other versions have over 1,300 pages. That means that this version is only half the story.
So much gets lost in translation already don't cheat yourself even more.

Although the story is well known to me, the editing of this audio book was so confusing. I absolutely could not follow it. Too much is cut out.

Story has good twists, but there are too many French places and people which makes the audio confusing.

This book is long out of copyright and so is available free for your Kindle elsewhere on the net.

(Great book though!)

the lives of retired rangers their story, on a journey on the trip to montana, the lost of one of them. and story of the other taking him home.

The best novel I've ever read! You'll fall in love with the characters to the point in which road trips out west will never be the same.

Get past the first 50 pages and it will pull you kicking and screaming to the very end, where, when you close the book, you'll feel the loss of a good friend.

I too read the book after watching the made for TV series, and as far as the made for TV series is concerned, I can't imagine it ever being any truer to what McMurtry's literary intentions may have been than what Bobby Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones did with it; even if John Wayne and Henry Fonda were its original intended cast.
Regardless, people will always tell you the book is much better than the movie and after reading this book you will no doubt agree. Though the series proved to be absolutely compelling, the book proved to be even better, dispite your knowledge of the novels outcome.
The wit and depth of constitution these old cowboys possess will make you realize what an exciting, enchanting and downright wild period in Americana history it truly had to be.

Great movie, and absolutely captivating book.

This is my second reading of this contemporary classic. I generally disapprove of long books, but this was one tome I regretted closing for the last time. It is truly an awesome accomplishment. LONESOME DOVE was written at a time when popular culture had recently abandoned the Western as too hackneyed and bathetic to entertain. Then comes this massive novel opening up numerous unforseen perspectives about the American West a mere 130 years ago. This is the novel future generations will read when they want to know how it was on the high plains in Custer's time.

The characters are given huge latitude to capture your imagination, and even the minor ones are impressive. You will come to know them better than most of your family. You will dream about them. And, unless you're as hard as Blue Duck, you'll shed a tear over their destruction.

An absolutely fantastic biography. McCullough not only gives us an incredibly in-depth account of Truman's role in such momentous events as the decision to drop the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Potsdam Conference (Truman's only face-to-face meeting with Stalin or Uncle Joe as he called him), the Truman Doctrine, The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, the firing of General MacArthur and so on, but he also succeeds wonderfully in injecting joviality into this rather thick tome through his unsurpassed ability to recount the human side of Truman, the quirkiness, the common trials and errors of a human being and the like.

I am not an American, but I always tell my friends that if I were Truman would be my favorite president. This book only serves to reinforce my view. Overall, one of the best biographies I've read. If I ever became famous one day, I'd really love someone of McCullough's caliber to write my biography. Highly recommended.

Truman dropped two atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II. He did what he had to do and what had to be done to end the worst war in the history of the planet. He was essentially carrying out the policies of Roosevelt, who died in office. Truman passed the buck when he sent troops to Korea to contain Communism. He fired General Douglas MacArthur, who wanted to nuke the Chinese. Limited war as policy set a precedent for Vietnam. Korea is still a problem. Peaceful reunification is the only solution.

You might think it odd that I would call a nearly 1,000 page biography incomplete- particularly after giving it a five-star review- but for all the detail McCullough supplies about Truman's life, he misses some very important details. More about that in a minute.

I very nearly did not read this book, as my previous experience with David McCullough's biographyies was his book on John Adams- another very detailed, very well written work that is obvously the work of a man who fell so in love with his subject that it not only blinded McCullough to Adams' flaws, it led him to depict such great men as Franklin and Jefferson as Adams saw them- a vew quite at odds with the portraits painted by other historians.

Nonetheless, I went ahead and plunged into this work, and found it far superior to the Adams biography. The picture McCullough paints of Truman clearly shows the admiration McCullough holds his subject in, yet it also includes many of Truman's flaws- his temper, at times, his lack of education in many areas, his poor judgment and downright naiitivity in his dealings with Stalin, and some of his appointments. At the same time it does a great job of showing how Truman's family and business background and his experience in local Missouri politics shaped his later career as president.

What's lacking, first and foremost, is any discussion of post-WWI economics, and Truman's roll, and the role of Congress, in shaping the postwar economic system. An ecomist friend, noting that I was reading the book, asked me if there was any discussion of James Byrnes in the book. There is a great deal, but none of it regarding Brynes' role in setting policy, either as FDR's Director of Economic Stabilization or later under Truman. Another important player- Henry Walllace- gets short shrift as well. There is much discussion of the political machincations behind replacing Henry Wallace with Truman in FDR's third run at the presidency, but not enough on exactly what made Walllace both an object of admiration to his supporters and a dangerously
naiive successor to FDR to his enemies. Also lacking is a real discussion of how Truman, like FDR before him, had no problem in using, and some would argue abusing, the executive powers of his office to threaten both unions and businesses into compliance with his aims.

But what McCullough does provide is a superbly constructed narrative that is, I think, more complete, more accurate, and more interesting than any of the previous popular biographies of Truman. It's a first-rate read and an excelllent education for both Truman fans and critics.

I really enjoyed this book. The book gets better as you get further into the book (that is not to say the start of the book is lacking anything). It does a great job staying focused on the man and not events of the time. WWII, The Atom bomb and other big events could have easily taken over this story and while the man of course had a big role to play in these things the book does great job staying focused on Truman and his life.

For anyone who has ever cheered for an underdog or bet on a longshot, this is a great read. HST had no money, no family position and no formal higher education--but he did great things for America. McCullough gives us his best story yet, with all the rich detail and factual substance we have come to expect from today's greatest political biographer. If I could read only one political biography again-this would be it.

great book regarding the history of cryptography. The only way to truly understand anything is c the history of it's introduction

For a book on cryptology from a historical perspective it's really hard to believe it would be as entertaining as Singh makes it. Using his skill as an author he weaves history, technology, and methods of encryption together to explain topics that normally would leave many of us in the blind.

The most interesting thing about the whole book is that as you begin to read up on forms of encryption and decryption you begin to absorb yourself into the whole culture. One chapter describes the Beale Ciphers, a set of ciphers that gained popularity especially in the early 1900s and still are significant today linking to a fabulous treasure and yet still remaining unbroken. I remember spending the day after reading up on it thinking of ways I'd try to break the cipher. Not many books fill your mind with such rich images and excitement as this book seems to.

Generally, the book is wonderful and has enough to keep you hooked until the very end despite its historical nature.

Simon Singh does a very clever thing. He takes comlex topics and makes them understandable without dumming down the science or math.

If you have never read a Simon Singh book, it's time to begin now! While most Singh books can seem a bit boring when you read the synopsis (can a book about codes really be interesting??), this is not the case. He has a wonderfull way of explaining complicated things in an understandable way. I will also highly recommend "Fermat's enigma" and "Big bang".

As a mathematician in the early 1970s, I saw many advertisements recruiting mathematicians for the CIA. I knew that it had to do with cryptography and number theory but it was all very mysterious and since I never got a job with them I didn't see precisely how the disciplines fit together. As Singh describes the discover of the RSA coding system it all becomes very clear.
The story he tells is particularly interesting because it starts with the ancient Romans and the decoding of the conspiracy messages of Mary Queen of Scots in Elizabethian England.

Singh also wrote an very interesting account in layman's terms of the discoveries that led to the proof of Fermat's last theorem. That skill is also demonstrated in this book where the key concepts of cryptgraphy are discussed as they were developed through history. The uses of cryptography in World War I and World War II are brought out. We learn of the men in England at Bletchley Park who were able to decypher the German Enigma Machine and play a major role in the latter success of the allies. The gain of information from the U boats enabled the Americans to transport supplies and soldiers to Europe to fight the war. The U boats were very successful at destroying American ships prior to the breaking of the code.

It is interesting that after the war the academic community in the United States solved the problem of key passing for computer networks and developed the RSA code. These discovery were developed earlier and independently in England at their secret agency the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) based on the unheralded ideas of James Ellis. Their work was kept secret until the late 1990s when their achievements were finally brought to light.

The book also discusses the archaeological work on the Rosetta Stone and Linear B. This work uncovered the meaning of the hieroglyphics and showed that the Minoans language was a form of Greek. The techniques were very much akin to deciphering code.

Also of interest is the Navajo code talkers who used their language as an unbreakable code during the war in the Pacific in World War II.

Recent developments and conjectures about future breakthroughs are discussed in the last few chapters. The book provides very useful information about other books and interesting web sites including one that allows you to download Zimmerman's Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) which provides RSA level security.

I received this book as a gift and was reluctant to read it as the subject matter was not of interest. I started to read it just to see what it might be like and was captured by the outstanding writing. It was just a joy to read and the characters will stay with me forever.

About half way thru this book and had to set it aside. I'll return to it later as it is a little too intense and the language is shocking.

I thought his books Beach Music and The Prince of Tides were much better. I could not put Beach Music down.

This is a great military/coming of age novel by Pat Conroy that I would put slightly behind The Great Santini (one of my favorite books of all time) in his catalogue. In this story, Conroy follows a young cadet at the fictional Carolina Military Institute (modeled partly on Conroy's time at The Citadel) as he endures his plebe year and then comes to grip with the fact that the school fosters a great deal of hate, racism and cruelty to accomplish its mission of developing the Complete Man. Conroy's writing always moves quickly with engaging dialogue, humor and entertaining story lines and this book is no exception. It is certainly deeper than your standard pop fiction book, but it reads just as easily and quickly. I would highly recommend it to Conroy fans, people who enjoy good fiction (even my mother likes this book) or people who have interest in military schools or the South in the 50's. A very good book.

Gorgeously crafted, eloquent, beautiful, gripping, powerful. Simply an amazing book. All of Pat Conroy's books have common ties to his childhood, and this one is perhaps the best of them all.

The mark of a successful coming of age story is that you, the reader, can see yourself reflected in the protagonist. For me, this book worked very well. Will McLean, the main character and first-person narrator, a second generation Irish boy, son of a Marine, a mongrel outsider in the pedigreed Carolina Military Institute searches for himself, the man within the boy who is being molded by a system of discipline and honor that doesn't match his internal morality. He's an English major in a college of warriors. He's a basketball player, a finesse guard, in a school of brute force. He's fighting against systems he doesn't understand within a life choiceless in it's inequality.

Pat Conroy, himself a graduate of the model for the fictional Institute, The Citadel, weaves a compelling tension-filled story while eloquent in his setting, Charleston, South Carolina. Employing gracious proper Southern dialect filled with flowers, antiques, and tradition, he describes brutality, racism, sexism, and betrayal. The language works well because it provides within its description the biting irony of the scenes. Will McLean fights through every taboo the South has to offer in the 1960's: a black cadet in the all-white tradition of the military college, an unwed pregnant girl shunned by society for her shame while the father of her baby remains blameless, the brutal plebe system that crushes individuality while remaking young men as soulless military automatons, the classed society of high south old money and it's cruelty to those not born within the circle, and the fact that military honor doesn't equate to individual morality.

Fighting through this maze of pitfalls, McLean has only his closest and dearest friends to rely on, roommates Dante "Pig" Pignetti and Mark Santoro, two brawny, Northern boys of Italian descent and Tradd St. Croix, an "old Charlestonian" (from a very rich and respected family). His moral guide through the story is the epitomy of hard military men, Colonel "Bear" Berrineau, a vulgar battle-scarred man whose character is unimpeachable and whose idea of duty includes awful repercussions.

I loved this story and I couldn't put it down. If I had one criticism to give, it's that Conroy tried to put too much into the novel - too many problems and taboos and tried to fix hundreds of years worth of problems in one book. But, that's not really a criticism because he did it and did it well. Bravo.

CV Rick

LOVE this book - perfect gift for an adult or a child - beautiful pictures and wonderful, meaningful story.

I work with children with Autism and have given this book to each of them once they do not need my services anymore. This book is a rare find! Excellent story and great pictures!

This is an excellent message for children that they are special and not to place too much importance on what other people may think. My 2 and 3-year olds are captivated by the story.

This is a timeless story that teaches a wonderful lesson.
The book was shipped in wonderful condition without defect.

I received this on Christmas morning. I'd wanted it for quite some time, as an aspiring teacher and future parent, and thought it'd make a wonderful addition to my growing collection of children's books. I couldn't have been more right.

You Are Special is a sweet story about a doll maker whose wooden dolls take it upon themselves to dole out stickers to each other based on how they look, or their talents/lack thereof. What happens when one of the "gray dot" dolls meets a doll with NO stickers?

One of the deepest stories I've ever read, the message spans literature levels and ages, touching the hearts of both children and adults as the pages turn and the story unfolds. By the end, you realize what really makes one special, and it has nothing to do with stickers.

I cannot say enough about how beautiful this book is.

I decided to run a marathon, but did not think I could do it. I am an avid amazon dreamer. My wish list is too long to mention! While searching for help I came across this book. I am so glad I did. This book gives you all the tools you need to complete a marathon and helps you built your self-esteem to let you know you can!
Go for it!

This is the ultimate marathon training book!!! And it's the 3rd one I've ordered. My friend swore by this book when she was training for the Tokyo Marathon such as I did when I trained for the Marine Corps Marathon. Amazon got the book here quick too!!

My sister-in-law and I are training to run a half marathon. This book is like our bible. We are following the training advice to a tee and really enjoying the workouts. I am highly recommending this book to anyone who isn't a runner and is training for a marathon. We both love this book and know that we will be successful when it comes time to run the marathon thanks to this book!

I just completed my first marathon (Rome 3-16-08).
This book gave me all I needed to train and
complete this marathon. I started from not being
able to run for 30 minutes straight to running
a marathon within 6 months. If you follow this
book you will be able to train for and run a marathon!

The writers are very motivational. There is a 16 week
program that guides you through your training
week by week. I cannot recommend this book enough
for anyone who has ever wanted to run a marathon!

I bought this book accidentally... and I gave it to my husband. He said he likes the book so much. It gives him a lot of idea on how to run in a marathon! ;)

I have read many many books pertaining to astronomy and cosmology over the years, but until this book, I had never read anything written by Carl Sagan. What interested me enough to purchase this book was not only the topic it covered, but that the book was itself written by Carl Sagan.

I best remember Carl Sagan from those TV specials he narrated that were aired on public TV many years ago. I was always impressed with Mr. Sagan's knowledge and manner of presentation of the material. His enthusiasm to tell what he knew about the cosmos was never masked by a scripted TV presentation; his enthusiasm was very infectious. So recently, I thought I had to rectify my having never read a book written by Mr. Sagan and I purchased the book Cosmos. I was not disappointed; I felt as if I was watching one of those old TV specials narrated by Mr. Sagan. In my mind's eye, I could see everything I was reading and I did not want the book to end.

Despite that the book may be dated, and cosmology has moved on a bit since the publishing of this book, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in cosmology, astronomy, astrophysics and even history. I only wish Mr. Sagan was still alive to write something new. He is missed by me.

The best advice I can give, regarding this book, is to GIVE it to a young person interested in science or space. You will plant a seed that will grow forever. Sagan's masterpiece takes the mind on a wonderful journey through the stars as well as through other space centered events. Highest recommendation as a text for learning as well as a fine read for anyone interested in the subject.

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" was my first book on astrophysics and was very instrumental in my growing love of Cosmology and all things Space. He is a great writer, a bit out there sometimes but like any great science writer, he makes the material accessable to the general public in a way that is thought-provoking and educational.

Imagine you are a wanderer, like our forebears, you gaze up at night, finding a spectacular image then tell you offspring what you've seen, you name these constellations, like telling a story. Millions years later, our species created enough fairytales, then science comes, evolves, battles, advances, imagine you are a reporter, and you need to write down all these. Not just the outcome.
That's how cosmos comes to be what it is now, but unfortunately, most of us just know the outcome, like Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun, a star. Carl Sagan did the rest of the jobs brilliantly in Cosmos. When reading this book, you will forget it's science but a story book as if you are surfing in the wave of history from the very beginning of everything.
unlike other science book, Cosmos not just tell us what when and how, but why, why it's so important for our species and survival. The book is full of knowledge, wisdom and a sense of responsibility as one inhabitant on Earth.
Everyone on Earth should read this book

You are doing yourself a disservice if you have never exposed yourself to the work of Carl Sagan. After reading this book I immediately checked out and fell in love with the television show as well. Even though Cosmos is nearly 30 years old now, Sagan's remarkable sense of awe speaks just as clearly now as I'm sure it did then. A quote on the back of the book says "Cosmos is like the college course in science you always wanted to take but never knew a professor teach" and I couldn't agree more. It's a great crime that no science class I ever took in school, college included, ever took the liberty of exploring the Cosmos in the way Sagan does effortlessly. If you have ever looked at the stars and wondered, this book is for you.

I have read several different publishings of Think and Grow Rich, and I am happy to say it was nice to discover this particular copy. You may not know, but in 1960 Napoleon Hill did a rewrite of his manuscript and the results left much of the original text deleted. Here, in this production, we have his ORIGINAL text from the 1937 edition. There are two other things I really appreciate about this version. First, the book is fully annotated and indexed. This is a helpful feature for those of us who study this book after the first read. Then, finally, the information, in terms of monetary figures, has been revised to read in todays dollar values which enhances the process of understanding when relating 1937 information to todays standards. Overall, I feel that this is an excellent version of Napoleon Hills classic manuscript, Think and Grow Rich.

This book clearly states that money is an effect or result. How we think and the type of person we are and the value we provide to others is the cause. If you don't like the money you're making in your life, then you need to work on yourself first. Just like a diamond is nothing but a piece of coal under pressure for thousands of years turned valuable, so can a human become. The top earners are the most valued individuals in our society and our dollars vote this true. It's undeniable. That doesn't mean that any person is more or less valuable as an individual, but for exchange reasons (money) they are. You'll only get what you give.

Great book. Must read.

This book provides an excellent example of how magic works. The author shows the necessity for learning how to govern the internal mind, through the use of transmuting sexual energies and also creating an inner council of the people a person embodies as successful. This book reenervated my business by showing me the path to success and wealth. The steps are easy to follow, as long as you are willing to put the effort in.

This book is amazing. I suggest it for anyone who wants to control their lives rather then allowing life to control them. This book has no time restraint and was valid in 1927 when it was written as it still is today. Hill was a remarkable man who had a talent for knowing exactly how the universe operates. He gives many examples of famous people in life how their determination drove them to success. His endorsement by powerful men in history also confirms the power of this book. If you had just three books to read to be a successful person in life, this would be number one.

I have saved my five star ratings regarding personal achievement books for only those that have had deep, positive, and lasting influence on my life. Think and Grow Rich deserves top mention among these books.

Putting the fame and large degree of positive reviews of this book aside, the validity of this book's strength is rooted in logic. Hill based more than two decades of his life assembling and refining the material for this book at the request of Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie, one of history's richest as well as most dignified and charitable people, was privy to a great source of proven knowledge confirmed by his own colossal life. A twenty year exploration into Carnegie's thoughts alone would be of significant value; however Hill takes his examination further into the thoughts of numerous magnates of achievement.

Supporting the strength of Think and Grow Rich is a long list of great achievers who regard this book among their most influential. If the sources of Hill's knowledge alone did not earn your attention, the high regard this book is held among people of lofty achievement should undeniably verify its authority on the topic.

It is not just the content of this book that yields such dynamic insight; it is the manner in which Hill illustrates his points. Hill's style of writing produces lasting command over the principles that exhibit the genuine value of the book. From a simple story regarding a young slave girl who did not know enough to be concerned with repercussions when demanding payment for her mother, or Henry Ford's persistence in the development of the V8 which at the time was considered impossible, the examples and underlying lessons among Hill's narratives offer resounding meaning and enduring effect. Hill has the venerable ability to articulate his ideas in a manner that effortlessly express his point while maintaining their resounding quality that will resonate with you for a lifetime.

Think and Grow Rich is not a book that should be read only once. The material is far too broad and the principles too profound for one to anticipate absorbing all the content in one reading. Much like the obligatory repetition for mastering a skill, it is vital to revisit Hill's work multiple times before even beginning to master the principles.

Hill spends a portion of this book on ideas that even after multiple reviews I am unable to fully comprehend. If a weakness exists, it is Hill's willingness to endeavor to expound the arcane elements of thought. While their may be merit in Hill's portrayal of the working of the inner mind, the requirement for such an evaluation is unnecessary and adds little value to the book. This line of though is tantamount to a driving instructor attempting to teach the particulars of how an engine works when his ability to teach driving is really at the core of his value. Hill clearly knows the intricacies of how to achieve in life, thus his attempts to explain the inner workings of the human mind serve little purpose, especially considering his research was not attained via any notable scientific study. Having defined its only perceived limitation, I want to emphasize that the main content of the book is so profound and well presented that even with its weaknesses, Think and Grow Rich will rate among the very best books on human achievement.

I highly recommend putting this book at the top of your list if you are looking to improve your life in any aspect. Hill is a master of self improvement and the principles presented are timeless.