Success

William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron BeaverbrookProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 107K words
Chapters: 11

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Success (Second Edition) by Baron Max Aitken Beaverbrook. Author: Beaverbrook, Max Aitken, Baron, 1879-1964. Language: English. Class: HF: Social sciences: Commerce. Release Date: Mar 4, 2005

Editor's review

Success is a collection of essays on the theme of success by the British press magnate Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook); this second edition is released by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. The author spent much of his life at the intersection of the newspaper industry and politics, and his writing reflects a distinctly practical perspective: rather than abstract formulas of success, he discusses the relationship between goals, drive, and opportunity from personal experience and observation. The views are direct and confident in tone, carrying the enterprising spirit of early twentieth-century Anglo-American commercial society. Its value lies in offering a sample of success discourse from a newspaper proprietor's point of view, which can be compared with other works on success from the same period to trace the evolution of the genre. Note that many judgments rest on the experience of the author's era and class; today's readers should treat it as a historical text rather than a take-it-or-leave-it action guide. The book is short, suited to reading in segments during commutes or brief intervals; afterward, keep critical notes on your own situation, distinguishing transferable principles from products of a particular age.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in success literature and commercial essays
History readers curious about the views of an early twentieth-century British press figure
Professionals who like short essays and fragmented reading

Not a good fit for

Those seeking success methods backed by modern empirical research
Readers expecting systematic training steps or workbook-style content
Those sensitive to the preachy tone of early business figures

Reading tips

After each section, summarize the author's argument in one sentence, then note whether you agree and why.
Compare the book's views with contemporary success literature and record how judgments shift with the times.
Break reading into ten-to-fifteen-minute daily segments and take two or three lines of notes right after.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a typical success book, and is the content outdated?

It is an early essay collection on success, marked by the author's personal experience and era, unlike contemporary success literature grounded in empirical research. Some judgments look outdated today, but it still has reference value as a historical text. Read it critically rather than following it as a manual.

What is the background of the author, Beaverbrook, and will it affect reading?

Lord Beaverbrook was a British newspaper and political figure in the early twentieth century, and the book reflects his professional experience and class perspective. Knowing this helps assess the scope of his claims. The materials provide no further biographical detail; focus on how the text argues rather than relying on the author's biography.

Is the English original long, and what reading pace suits it?

The book is short, essentially a collection of brief essays, suited to segmented reading. English difficulty is moderate, with no overly complex syntax. Read one short section a day and take brief notes to stay consistent and track how your judgments change.

Comments

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About the author

William Maxwell Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook Author · Canadian-British · 1879–1964

Beaverbrook, Max Aitken, Baron (1879–1964), born William Maxwell Aitken, was a Canadian-born British newspaper magnate, financier and politician. Born in Ontario in 1879 and died in Surrey, England, in 1964, he is best known for founding and running the Daily Express newspaper group and for serving in wartime cabinet posts such as Minister of Aircraft Production. Three of his works are held here: the two volumes of Canada in Flanders and Success. The former recounts Canadian army experiences on the Flanders front in the First World War and has a documentary and propaganda flavour; the latter is a motivational and reflective work. His writing is generally concise and forceful, aimed at readability and wide reach, and reflects his political stance and journalist's perspective. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted.