Before the popularity and wild success of Rhonda Byrne’s book, The Secret, Napoleon Hill fought for and finally published the founding source of motivational personal development and self-help books in 1937 with, The Laws of Success, which he later condensed into Think and Grow Rich at the bidding of Scottish-American steel magnate and philosopher, Andrew Carnegie.
Carnegie thought it would be worthwhile to teach ordinary people how to become successful and that this could be done by putting together his own success strategies with those of many other highly successful men in a book aimed at the common man. He was so impressed with Napoleon Hill’s determination in writing him over 50 letters requesting an interview that, during the interview, he asked Hill whether he would be willing to spend 20 years writing this book. Hill eagerly said yes and The result was Think and Grow Rich.