This book features the life stories, told by themselves, of many successful men and women, with emphasis on those experiences which to them appear to have been the turning points in their lives. The leaders in invention, manufacture, transportation, commerce, finance, in political and public life, and in the professions of the ministry, the law, literature and art, were requested to bequeath in their own words the stories of their lives, their ideals, and the lessons of their experience, to the American public. Many and varied careers have been selected, so that each one may find his ideal of success fulfilled in real life, and be aroused to a lofty aspiration and resolute determination to achieve like eminence. While for the most part the experiences portrayed in this book occurred upon American soil, in several instances persons born or now living abroad, but prominently identified with American life, have been included. Contents: Hard Work, the Secret of a Great Inventor's Genius – Thomas Alva Edison A "Down-East" Yankee Who Dictates Peace to the Nations – Hiram Stevens Maxim A Poor Boy Who Once Borrowed Books Now Gives Away Libraries – Andrew Carnegie A Good Shoemaker Becomes Detroit's Best Mayor and Michigan's Greatest Governor – Hazen S. Pingree Determination Not to Remain Poor Made a Farmer Boy Merchant Prince – Marshall Field Honesty the Foundation of a Great Merchant's Career – John Wanamaker A British Boy Wins Fortune and Title by American Business Methods – Sir Thomas Lipton A Self-made Man Who Strives to Give Others a Chance – Darius Ogden Mills Thrift, the Secret of a Fortune Built in a Single Lifetime – Russell Sage Cut Out for a Banker, He Rose From Errand Boy to Secretary of the United States Treasury – Lyman Judson Gage A Young Millionaire Not Afraid to Work in Overalls – Cornelius Vanderbilt A Messenger Boy's Zeal Lifts Him to the Head of the World's Greatest Telegraph System – Robert C. Clowry...

This book features the life stories, told by themselves, of many successful men and women, with emphasis on those experiences which to them appear to have been the turning points in their lives. The leaders in invention, manufacture, transportation, commerce, finance, in political and public life, and in the professions of the ministry, the law, literature and art, were requested to bequeath in their own words the stories of their lives, their ideals, and the lessons of their experience, to the American public. Many and varied careers have been selected, so that each one may find his ideal of success fulfilled in real life, and be aroused to a lofty aspiration and resolute determination to achieve like eminence. While for the most part the experiences portrayed in this book occurred upon American soil, in several instances persons born or now living abroad, but prominently identified with American life, have been included. Contents: Hard Work, the Secret of a Great Inventor's Genius – Thomas Alva Edison A "Down-East" Yankee Who Dictates Peace to the Nations – Hiram Stevens Maxim A Poor Boy Who Once Borrowed Books Now Gives Away Libraries – Andrew Carnegie A Good Shoemaker Becomes Detroit's Best Mayor and Michigan's Greatest Governor – Hazen S. Pingree Determination Not to Remain Poor Made a Farmer Boy Merchant Prince – Marshall Field Honesty the Foundation of a Great Merchant's Career – John Wanamaker A British Boy Wins Fortune and Title by American Business Methods – Sir Thomas Lipton A Self-made Man Who Strives to Give Others a Chance – Darius Ogden Mills Thrift, the Secret of a Fortune Built in a Single Lifetime – Russell Sage Cut Out for a Banker, He Rose From Errand Boy to Secretary of the United States Treasury – Lyman Judson Gage A Young Millionaire Not Afraid to Work in Overalls – Cornelius Vanderbilt A Messenger Boy's Zeal Lifts Him to the Head of the World's Greatest Telegraph System – Robert C. Clowry…

“Heartfelt and ever-endearing—equal parts information and inspiration. This is a book to keep by your bedside and return to often.”—Amy Dickinson, nationally syndicated advice columnist "Ask Amy" More than one thousand extraordinary Americans share their stories and the wisdom they have gained on living, loving, and finding happiness. After a chance encounter with an extraordinary ninety-year-old woman, renowned gerontologist Karl Pillemer began to wonder what older people know about life that the rest of us don't. His quest led him to interview more than one thousand Americans over the age of sixty-five to seek their counsel on all the big issues: children, marriage, money, career, aging. Their moving stories and uncompromisingly honest answers often surprised him. And he found that he consistently heard advice that pointed to these thirty lessons for living. Here he weaves their personal recollections of difficulties overcome and lives well lived into a timeless book filled with the hard-won advice these older Americans wish someone had given them when they were young. Like This I Believe, StoryCorps's Listening Is an Act of Love, and Tuesdays with Morrie, 30 Lessons for Living is a book to keep and to give. Offering clear advice toward a more fulfilling life, it is as useful as it is inspiring.

For too long we’ve lacked a compact, inexpensive, authoritative, and compulsively readable book that offers American readers a clear, informative, and inspiring narrative account of their country. Such a fresh retelling of the American story is especially needed today, to shape and deepen young Americans’ sense of the land they inhabit, help them to understand its roots and share in its memories, all the while equipping them for the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in American society The existing texts simply fail to tell that story with energy and conviction. Too often they reflect a fragmented outlook that fails to convey to American readers the grand trajectory of their own history. This state of affairs cannot continue for long without producing serious consequences. A great nation needs and deserves a great and coherent narrative, as an expression of its own self-understanding and its aspirations; and it needs to be able to convey that narrative to its young effectively. Of course, it goes without saying that such a narrative cannot be a fairy tale of the past. It will not be convincing if it is not truthful. But as Land of Hope brilliantly shows, there is no contradiction between a truthful account of the American past and an inspiring one. Readers of Land of Hope will find both in its pages.

The Sunny Side of the Street is about recollections of the "sunny side" of various strangers. Wilder playfully utilizes humor and pathos to write rich stories about the happy parts of human nature. Contents: Sunshine and Fun, Sunny Men of Serious Presence, At the White House and Near It, Storytelling As Art, cont.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER For John Wooden's millions of fans--a heartfelt and revealing self-portrait about the people and events that shaped his life Sports Illustrated declared: "There has never been a finer coach in American sports than John Wooden. Nor a finer man." ESPN selected him as the "Greatest Coach of the 20th Century." From his birth on an Indiana tenant farm, to All-American honors at Purdue, to his historic record-setting UCLA dynasty, John Wooden is a towering figure in 20th-century sports, and his experience and wisdom an American treasure. In My Personal Best, Coach Wooden tells how he did it and the lessons he learned on his remarkable journey. Pairing never-before-seen photos from Coach Wooden's private collection with his personal stories and affirmations, this book encompasses the dramatic arc of Wooden's larger-than-life achievements and experiences. As he did in his perpetual bestseller Wooden, Coach offers a wealth of biographical details, personal reflections, and a lifetime of lessons. His millions of fans will cherish this definitive pictorial history of a living sports legend. "John Wooden is a living legend because he practiced what he preached--the code of ethics which created America's strength." --Phil Jackson, head coach, Los Angeles Lakers "Most of what I know, what's made me a smart man, has come from John Wooden." --Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer "A man of John Wooden's accomplishments and integrity would stand out in any era, but now, almost three decades after he coached his last game, he is in some ways an even more striking figure." --Bob Costas

This book features the life stories, told by themselves, of many successful men and women, with emphasis on those experiences which to them appear to have been the turning points in their lives. The leaders in invention, manufacture, transportation, commerce, finance, in political and public life, and in the professions of the ministry, the law, literature and art, were requested to bequeath in their own words the stories of their lives, their ideals, and the lessons of their experience, to the American public. Many and varied careers have been selected, so that each one may find his ideal of success fulfilled in real life, and be aroused to a lofty aspiration and resolute determination to achieve like eminence. While for the most part the experiences portrayed in this book occurred upon American soil, in several instances persons born or now living abroad, but prominently identified with American life, have been included. Contents: Hard Work, the Secret of a Great Inventor's Genius – Thomas Alva Edison A "Down-East" Yankee Who Dictates Peace to the Nations – Hiram Stevens Maxim A Poor Boy Who Once Borrowed Books Now Gives Away Libraries – Andrew Carnegie A Good Shoemaker Becomes Detroit's Best Mayor and Michigan's Greatest Governor – Hazen S. Pingree Determination Not to Remain Poor Made a Farmer Boy Merchant Prince – Marshall Field Honesty the Foundation of a Great Merchant's Career – John Wanamaker A British Boy Wins Fortune and Title by American Business Methods – Sir Thomas Lipton A Self-made Man Who Strives to Give Others a Chance – Darius Ogden Mills Thrift, the Secret of a Fortune Built in a Single Lifetime – Russell Sage Cut Out for a Banker, He Rose From Errand Boy to Secretary of the United States Treasury – Lyman Judson Gage A Young Millionaire Not Afraid to Work in Overalls – Cornelius Vanderbilt A Messenger Boy's Zeal Lifts Him to the Head of the World's Greatest Telegraph System – Robert C. Clowry...