Letters of a Self-Made Failure

by Maurice Switzer, Frank Godwin (Illustrator)

"Success" books have been around a long time. Maybe it's because good advice is timeless. This 1914 set of letters between brothers still contains valuable advice for those entering in to the world of business as an adult... “…it is less important to know how one man attained great success than it is to understand why a thousand men became utter failures. If nine-tenths, of the world (it may be more or less) is unsuccessful, according to the popular standard of success, and has ever been so, then it is probably in the scheme of Nature to have it that way; it is not accident but design. And if it be so ordained, it is reasonable to believe that those of us who form this mighty majority occupy positions which are just as important to the progress and development of the world as the places held by the favored few who rule it.” “To that great multitude, then, who think they have missed the shining mark, this book is addressed. It is not a guide to success, but rather a brief to prove that failure is often psychological; that every man has a place in the world, and that it is within his power and ability to ornament that place, provided he is not trying to be somebody else.” “I had the wrong viewpoint. Instead of trying to earn more than I could spend, I should have simply spent less than I was earning.” - - - - - - - - - - This Illustrated eBook edition of the 1914 original has been carefully edited for errors and is as true to the original as possible. Spelling has been modernized where appropriate. [EDB Pubs] Publisher’s While it is true that some old books can be found for free on the internet, the quality of most ‘free’ material is not acceptable. Here is an example of the work to be done in order to produce a readable version for the Kindle Text found …it wilt be broken by Hindoostan; from Melbourne and from i^dney, the extent of broken line will be still further increased; as it will sweep round, so as from the 44 foi*iner place to take in and be >yroken by the Kurile Islands; and from Sydney the lino will T>o brpken by these islands as well as by a portion of the Aleutian Isles, after which the line underwafti will be smooth and unbroken, excepting possibly T>y smiall islands. The same text after …it will be broken by Hindoostan; from Melbourne and from Sydney, the extent of broken line will be still further increased; as it will sweep round, so as from the former place to take in and be broken by the Kurile Islands; and from Sydney the line will be broken by these islands as well as by a portion of the Aleutian Isles, after which the line underward will be smooth and unbroken, excepting possibly by small islands

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2013

Reviews

[Kevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago, I discovered a very old and ragged copy of this and purchased it to add to my collection of historic books. The premise seemed intriguing enough and the title made me laugh. I finally grabbed it from my bookshelf to read last week and couldn’t put it down! Very witty and creative with a number of pithy insights about employment, money, and society interspersed throughout. All said, it’s a very entertaining book with short chapters full of humor and wisdom — in some ways like some of Ben Franklin’s writings. I’d certainly read again and would recommend.