Samuel Smiles's Self-Help

by Steve Shipside

"A bestseller immediately after its publication in 1859, 'Self-Help' propelled its author to fame and rapidly became one of Victorian Britain's most important statements on the allied virtues of hard work, thrift, and perseverance. Smiles' most celebrated book sold 20,000 copies in its first year of publication and later became known as the 'bible of mid-Victorian liberalism'. 'Self-Help' is often viewed as the precursor of today's motivational and self-help literature. Here, Samuel Smiles' text is interpreted for the modern day world. Steve Shipside illustrates the timeless nature of...