The Book of Manuals

by Paulo Coelho

I have read many manuals in my life, ranging from manuals on how to mend boats to ones telling me how to use a computer (nowadays, of course, the computer itself tells us what we should do). Gradually, I developed something of a passion for the manual and started to draw up my own, based on my observations of daily life. When Celso Loducca asked me to write a book, I thought: Why not collect together all the manuals I’ve written over the years and publish them? The result is the book you’re holding in your hands now.

Genres: Philosophy, Fiction, Ebooks, Personal Development, Self Help, Spirituality

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, PAULO COELHO did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, COELHO published The Alchemist. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time. Other titles include Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitle Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika decides to die (1998), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of Portobello (2006) and Winner Stands Alone (to be released in 2009). During the months of March, April, May and June 2006, Paulo Coelho traveled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella in 1986. He also held surprise book signings - announced one day in advance - in some cities along the way, to have a chance to meet his readers. In ninety days of pilgrimage the author traveled around the globe and took the famous Transiberrian train that took him to Vladivostok. During this experience Paulo Coelho launched his blog Walking the Path - The Pilgrimage in order to share with his readers his impressions. Since this first blog Paulo Coelho has expanded his presence in the internet with his daily blogs in Wordpress, Myspace & Facebook. He is equally present in media sharing sites such as Youtube and Flickr, offering on a regular basis not only texts but also videos and pictures to his readers. From this intensive interest and use of the Internet sprang his bold new project: The Experimental Witch where he invites his readers to adapt to the screen his book The Witch of Portobello. Indeed Paulo Coelho is a firm believer of Internet as a new media and is the first Best-selling author to actively support online free distribution of his work.

Reviews

[Ralph N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, amazing, powerful read for anyone looking to find their place in modern day society. It resonated very, very strongly with me!

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estou a sentir-me muito ambivalente relativamente a este livro, por um lado teve bastantes passagens que adorei e com as quais me identifiquei por outro lado teve alguns capítulos de que não gostei nada. Como por exemplo, capítulos que falavam mais sobre Deus e questões religiosas e os capítulos sobre homens e mulheres que se baseavam demasiado em generalizações pouco corretas. Mas de forma geral é um livro que levanta algumas reflexões pertinentes e tem umas analogias interessantes!

[Mo Ha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes yes & Yes .. Please !

Paulo is once in a generation writer and he comes up trumps yet again in this short book !

[TeriC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful read with lots to think about.

[Ismail Diabolic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short book.
Because it's a book on manuals.
And no one reads manuals but this is one manual which I completed.
Short stories cum poetic justice which can interpret in metaphor or literal sense.
Overall it was a quick and good read.

[Jakob Lybeck Scheel · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are gems in here, but not enough for this short book to deserve much of a recommendation. Some of the ‘manuals’ are not even by Coelho himself. Any fan of his will enjoy this, but It is ranking at the bottom of his bibliography.

[Luccas Góes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light, fun and enjoyable book to read — one of those that can be read in an afternoon on the weekend. Behind this lightness, the book brought several reflections from various areas of life. I recommend!

[Noah Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and Sweet

[Bonyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of anecdotes from here and there; I liked it, especially the warrior of light's quest and the manual for climbing mountains. It's a light read.

[Sweeta Rai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book. Book of wisdom.

[Patricia Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

[Kristian Strauss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read and to a level similar to warrior of light, along with similar ideals to puello own worthconsidering.

[Alan Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilhoso e cheios de dicas preciosas pra vida. Uma verdadeira Bíblia não religiosa.

[Novia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Earlier today I stayed up til 3AM to finish this very short book.

It might be light and easy to read but at least it works as a gentle reminder on how to live. Perfect for bedtime stories

[Bruna Aquino · Rating 3 out of 5]

uma pegada pegada meio coach até, mas nada tão mal

[David Lubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neat and sweet

Short book without any wasted space. Simple guidelines that are more of a foundation than a building. Enough to make one think about the concept.

[Isabella Baranzano · Rating 1 out of 5]

era o livro q tinha na sala da dharana enquanto eu esperava ela e a thais acordarem,,,, literalmente uma atrocidade

[Chantelly Low · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sound, practical advice. A bit old fashioned, but many words of wisdom are still applicable in today's standards. I like his frank approach to everything.

[Marina Dailes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leve e gostoso de ler

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

pedante y sobrevalorado. hay un par de frases memorables y de las que se puede sacar algo, pero la mayor parte es un boomer creyéndose el más listo y original por regurgitar frases de cuñado

[Seemantini Nigalye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read!

Powerful thoughts packed into this small book. I don't think it's a self-help book. Paolo himself recommended in the preface that one should write their own manual after reading the book. I found that very genuine and worth giving a shot.

I recommend reading it with one's own frame of reference.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but not great.

[Ernesto · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este pequeño libro, Paolo Coelho realiza una compilacion de "reglas" o "manuales" que pueden ser utilizados en diferentes momentos de la vida de un ser humano. Muchos de estas sentencias llevan una moraleja o metáfora capaz de serle útil al lector si la lee en un momento preciso de su vida.

Recomendado a los lectores de este autor, o a que llos que busquen un libro ameno y corto.

[Paulo Neto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro inusitado e divertido do Paulo Coelho, que prova pra mim mais uma vez que grande parte das críticas contra ele são puro preconceito literário! Destaque especial para a "Convenção dos Feridos por Amor", para o "Manual para ser aceito na sociedade como uma pessoa normal! e para o "Manual para Subir Montanhas", que foram os meus preferidos! hehe <3

[Betina Vogel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um livro pequeno para ser lido em uma tarde. É legal, mas muitas das coisas ali eu já tinha lido em outro lugar (seja em outras obras do autores ou em alguns blogs que publicam coisas dele), então não me acrescentou muito. Acho que pra alguém que NUNCA leu nada de Paulo Coelho, porém, pode ser bem interessante.

[Adrián · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante libro que aporta unos consejos útiles para muchas situaciones de la vida diaria. Como pega algunas palabras vienen en ESPAÑOL INTERNACIONAL, pero es 100% entendible ya que son palabras que no se usan en España pero que se entienden perfectamente.

[Karla Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buen libro. Los manuales incluidos son prácticos y de rápida lectura.
Creo haber notado sarcasmo en uno de ellos, será cuestión de percepción (?)
Con ese toque que Paulo le pone a la escritura... me encantó!

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational and Sometimes Comedic

A book of manuals about love or life in which we take only what we want from it because no matter how great Paulo Coelho is, we are not him, and can only live life as ourselves. (Which isn't to say he doesn't give beautiful poetic advice)

[Richard Kinan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiritual inspiration

I love the way Paulo writes about his personal spiritual experiences not to be repeated, but to inspire new paths for all readers. This was a quick and thought provoking read!

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Breve. Simpático, apesar de demasiado metafórico. Gostei do capítulo sobre viagens, é bem o jeito que gosto de viajar.