Money-making men; or, how to grow rich, authored by J. Ewing Ritchie and dating from 1886, is a collection of biographical sketches and anecdotes detailing how prominent men in England and America achieved immense financial success. Ritchie analyzes the lives of merchants, manufacturers, publishers, and politicians, arguing that wealth acquisition is less a matter of…
The object of Practical Pointers for Patentees is to provide inventors with crucial information and advice, drawing on the author’s observations and the experience of successful inventors, to help patentees intelligently and economically realize financial gain from their inventions once the patent has been issued. The work focuses specifically on the “business end” of inventing,…
G. C. Selden’s 1912 book, Psychology of the Stock Market, made available as an eBook by Project Gutenberg. The author, who worked with The Magazine of Wall Street, presents the central argument that stock price movements are heavily influenced by the mental attitude and behavior of the public and traders rather than solely by fundamental economic conditions. The text proceeds to analyze various psychological elements of speculation, including…
James Parton’s Captains of Industry presents biographical examples of men who “shed lustre upon ordinary pursuits” either through the exceptional manner in which they executed their businesses or through the “noble use” of the success and leisure attained. Written specifically as “A Book for Young Americans,” the work posits that such industrious and public-spirited individuals…
“Psychology And Industrial Efficiency” by Hugo Münsterberg (1913) outlines the foundational principles and methods of psychotechnics, a new science aimed at applying experimental psychology to the problems of economics, commerce, and industry. The book systematically examines how objective, scientific methods can replace haphazard approaches in three crucial areas: selecting the right individuals for jobs, optimizing…
“Analyzing Character, by Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb” argues for the utility of character analysis by the observational method as a practical science for vocational guidance and personnel management. The authors assert that success in various fields, from industry to politics, depends on the ability to select and understand people, referencing historical and contemporary figures as…
How to Make Money, published in 1922 by John V. Dunlap, serves as both a motivational treatise and a practical guidebook aimed primarily at girls and women trapped in monotonous, low-wage occupations. The central premise is that fortunes are made through salesmanship, which is a skill anyone can learn. The book outlines numerous small business…
History of the Comstock Patent Medicine Business and Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills by Robert B. Shaw documents the century-long lifespan of a unique American enterprise, tracing its origins in early 19th-century New York City through intense business litigation, the fabrication of its most famous product’s identity, and its eventual maturity and long tenure in…
This summary is based on the biography of Phineas T. Barnum, A Unique Story of a Marvellous Career: Life of Hon. Phineas T. Barnum, by Joel Benton. The material details Barnum’s early life and character, including anecdotes about his childhood, his first ventures in business, and his youthful experiences with trade and practical jokes. A significant…
This summary is based on the work Great Fortunes, and How They Were Made; or The Struggles and Triumphs of our Self-Made Men by James D. McCabe, Jr., published in 1871. The book aims to inspire and instruct readers by chronicling the lives of Americans who achieved eminent success, attributing their triumphs not to luck,…