"Born into poverty in 1883, Oliver Napoleon Hill fought his way out of his backwoods Virginia town with a burning desire to succeed. He constantly searched for ways to improve himself and tried his hand at diverse occupations, including managing a coal mine, practicing law, and becoming a business journalist. He worked for twenty years codifying the "rules" of achievement and interviewed successful people from all walks of life, gaining invaluable insight from the likes of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, Henry Ford, and William H. Taft." "Despite his connections with many rich and powerful people, Hill's personal life was a financial and emotional roller coaster. He watched his fortunes come and go as business enemies, world wars, a gold-digging second wife, and even the mob stole away his opportunities for wealth. Yet even when he was abandoned by his family, this incurable optimist and entrepreneur believed that every failure held a lesson for success."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved