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Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Review: A Foundational Self-Help Classic, Revised
First published in 1937 and having sold 15 million copies worldwide, Think and Grow Rich remains one of the most influential personal development books ever printed; this Tarcher revised and enlarged edition updates Hill's 13 Steps to Riches framework for modern readers, though the book's contested biographical claims and dated assumptions are legitimate reasons for careful reading.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers who want to engage with the foundational text of modern motivational literature — whether to absorb its structured 13-step framework, trace the origins of the self-help genre, or critically evaluate the ideas that shaped decades of subsequent personal development thinking.
Worth it if
It's worth reading if you approach it as a historically significant artifact of Depression-era success philosophy, with full awareness of its contested biographical claims, rather than as a rigorously validated, evidence-based guide to wealth-building.
Skip if
Skip it if you require a narrator whose foundational authority is independently verifiable — the historical record does not support Hill's central claims about Carnegie's mentorship or the famous interviews that supposedly underpin the entire framework.
What readers & critics say
Wikipedia documents that historians doubt Hill's foundational claim of being inspired by Andrew Carnegie, and that troubling personal conduct by Hill during the book's composition period is part of the historical record. Bankers-anonymous.com, ranking it among the top personal finance books of all time, notes its origins as a "popular tonic" to the Depression-era national mood, situating it firmly as a product of its historical moment.
Sources: Wikipedia, Bankers Anonymous4.8from 30,141 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Is and What It Contains
- Place in the Genre and Cultural Reach
- Strengths: Framework, Accessibility, and Enduring Appeal
- Documented Limitations and Scholarly Reservations
- Who This Edition Is For
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- One of the most influential personal development books ever published, with documented worldwide sales of 15 million copies and a 4.7-star rating on Barnes & Noble
- Distills Hill's broader 'Law of Success' philosophy into a focused, structured 13-step framework designed to be accessible to a general audience
- The Tarcher revised edition incorporates contemporary ideas and examples, designed to bridge the book's 1937 origins with modern readers
- Foundational to the entire modern self-help and motivational literature genre, making it essential reading for understanding that tradition
What Doesn't
- Wikipedia documents that historians doubt Hill's foundational claim of being inspired by Andrew Carnegie, and that no known records confirm most of the famous interviews Hill claimed to have conducted
- The book's central authority rests on biographical claims the historical record does not support, which undermines its credibility as a rigorously validated framework
This revised and enlarged Tarcher edition of Think and Grow Rich is a self-help classic that carries both genuine historical weight and well-documented scholarly reservations — readers deserve to know both before picking it up.
What the Book Is and What It Contains
Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century (Think and Grow Rich Series) by Napoleon Hill front cover
Originally published in 1937 by the Ralston Society, Think and Grow Rich is a personal development book in which Napoleon Hill distills what he called a "Philosophy of Achievement" into 13 Steps to Riches. The framework grew from an earlier, longer work, The Law of Success, which Hill described as the product of more than twenty years of study of individuals who had amassed personal fortunes. The book's central argument is that anyone can achieve success and wealth by following a defined set of principles — among them developing a positive mental attitude and setting clear, specific goals. This Tarcher edition, released in 2005, is presented as revised and updated for the 21st century, with contemporary ideas and examples added to Hill's original structure.
It is worth noting that Rosa Lee Beeland, whom Hill married in 1936, contributed substantially to the authoring and editing of the book, according to Wikipedia. The book's royalties were placed in her name, and she retained them after the couple's divorce — a biographical detail that has become part of the historical record surrounding the text.
Place in the Genre and Cultural Reach
Think and Grow Rich holds a firmly established place in the personal development canon. It has been called the "Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature" — a descriptor that appears across the publisher's own promotional materials — and Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman in the World, is quoted saying it "changed my life." Wikipedia notes that BusinessWeek magazine's Best-Seller List ranked it the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after its original publication, and Barnes & Noble records a 4.7-out-of-5-star reader rating. Having sold 15 million copies worldwide, as noted by the publisher, it is described by Penguin Publishing Group as the all-time bestseller in its field. Few self-help titles can claim comparable longevity or documented influence on the motivational thinking that followed.
Strengths: Framework, Accessibility, and Enduring Appeal
The book's primary structural strength is its distillation of a complex set of ideas into a numbered, actionable framework. Where Hill's earlier Law of Success sprawled across multiple volumes, Think and Grow Rich compresses those 16 laws into 14 principles — and then into the 13 Steps — making the philosophy navigable for a general audience. The revised edition's stated goal of incorporating contemporary examples is designed to bridge the Depression-era context of the original with the concerns of modern readers. The self-help genre as it exists today — goal-setting methodologies, positive mental attitude frameworks, visualization practices — traces much of its DNA directly to this text, and readers approaching it as a foundational document will find the source material for decades of subsequent work.
Documented Limitations and Scholarly Reservations
The book carries credibility problems that Wikipedia documents directly and that responsible readers should weigh. Hill claimed that his philosophy was inspired by a suggestion from business magnate Andrew Carnegie, and that he spent decades interviewing famous figures to develop it — but Wikipedia notes that historians doubt the Carnegie claim, and that there are no known records of Hill meeting most of the famous men he claimed to have interviewed, aside from a brief encounter with Thomas Edison. These are not minor quibbles: the foundational premise of the book — that its principles were validated by direct study of the era's most successful people — rests on claims the historical record does not support. Separately, Wikipedia documents troubling personal conduct by Hill during the period the book was written, including behavior that drove his daughter-in-law to leave the household. Readers who come to the text expecting a straightforwardly reliable narrator will need to factor this context in.
Who This Edition Is For
The Tarcher revised and enlarged edition is best suited to readers who want to engage with the text that shaped modern motivational literature — whether to absorb its framework, to understand the genre's origins, or to evaluate its ideas critically. It is also a natural choice for those already within the self-help tradition who want the source document rather than a later derivative. Readers who require rigorously sourced, evidence-based guidance on wealth-building or professional development may find the book's unverifiable biographical scaffolding a persistent obstacle. Those approaching it as a historical artifact of Depression-era thinking about success and ambition, with awareness of its contested claims, are positioned to get the most from what it genuinely offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill worth reading
It depends on what you're coming to it for. If you want to understand where modern motivational literature — goal-setting, positive mental attitude frameworks, visualization — actually comes from, the review says this is the source document for decades of subsequent work and genuinely worth your time. But if you need rigorously sourced, evidence-based guidance on wealth-building, the book's unverifiable biographical scaffolding may be a persistent obstacle.
what is Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill actually about
Napoleon Hill lays out what he called a "Philosophy of Achievement" organized into 13 Steps to Riches, arguing that anyone can achieve success and wealth by following a defined set of principles — including developing a positive mental attitude and setting clear, specific goals. The Tarcher revised edition, released in 2005, is presented as updated for the 21st century, with contemporary ideas and examples added to Hill's original Depression-era structure. It grew out of Hill's earlier, longer work The Law of Success, essentially compressing those 16 laws into a more navigable framework.
does Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill actually work
The review is honest that the book's foundational premise — that its principles were validated by Hill's direct study of the era's most successful people, including Andrew Carnegie — rests on claims the historical record does not support, with Wikipedia noting historians doubt the Carnegie claim and that there are no known records of Hill meeting most of the famous men he claimed to have interviewed. That said, Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman in the World, is quoted saying it "changed my life," and the book has sold 15 million copies worldwide. Whether it "works" for you likely hinges on whether you can engage with the framework independently of its contested biographical scaffolding.
is Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill similar to The Law of Success
They come from the same source material — the review explains that Think and Grow Rich grew directly out of The Law of Success, Hill's earlier and longer work. The key difference is that Think and Grow Rich compresses The Law of Success's 16 laws into 14 principles and then into the 13 Steps, making the philosophy far more navigable for a general audience. If you want the distilled, accessible version, Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill is the one to reach for.
who actually wrote Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill
This is a genuinely complicated question. The review notes, citing Wikipedia, that Rosa Lee Beeland — whom Hill married in 1936 — contributed substantially to the authoring and editing of the book, and that the royalties were placed in her name, which she retained after the couple's divorce. Hill is the credited author, but readers should know that the historical record around the text's creation is more contested than the cover suggests.
is Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill good for someone who wants to get into self-help
It's a strong choice if you want to start at the beginning — the review calls it the "Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature" and notes that the self-help genre as it exists today traces much of its DNA directly to this text. Just go in with your eyes open: the review recommends approaching it as a historical artifact of Depression-era thinking about success, with awareness of its contested claims, so you can get the most from what it genuinely offers.
are there any controversies or problems with Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised by Napoleon Hill i should know about
Yes, and the review is upfront about them. Wikipedia documents that historians doubt Hill's claim that Andrew Carnegie inspired his philosophy, and that there are no known records of Hill meeting most of the famous figures he claimed to have interviewed — aside from a brief encounter with Thomas Edison. The review also flags that Wikipedia documents troubling personal conduct by Hill during the period the book was written, including behavior that drove his daughter-in-law to leave the household. These aren't minor footnotes; they directly affect how you should weigh the book's authority.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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en.wikipedia.org
- Further reading
- 4
Napoleon Hill, Wikipedia
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penguinrandomhouse.com
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