There is no shortage of self-help books on the market, many of which provide useful and practical advice. However very few are actually written by people who have "walked the talk" - in other words, been highly successful in industries outside the field of motivational speeches. "How to Get Rich" by Felix Dennis is a shining exception. In fact, the author describes it as an "anti-self help" book insofar as it is painfully honest about the personal cost as well as the rewards of financial success.
Dennis has made untold millions in the publishing business, especially in the field of computer magazines, which is ironic as he is no technophile. He is today a poet and writer based in Mustique. Many of his chapters are fairly standard business-school advice on negotiations, marketing and team building, all spiced up with anecdotes and memories from his own life. Where the book adds tremendous value is in the author's command of literature and understanding of human nature and psychology.
In many ways Dennis is surprisingly downbeat about the sacrifice and consequences of acquiring wealth. In an introspective but particularly insightful passage, he describes how wealth carries impedimenta, or baggage - such as lawyers, retainers and syncophants - and can actually make the world a less rich or joyful place. He realises that nothing can be exchanged in return for one's youth and that giving away everything in an obsessive search for lucre is not necessarily a choice for everyone.
In summary, Felix Dennis writes a compelling, fascinating and highly readable book. He has stepped through the looking glass and seen the world of fortune for what it is. The advice he offers is timeless: including the old adage "choose the right mountain". There is no point panning for gold in coal mine or spending your life trying to make it big in a dying industry. Hence the ongoing appeal of the internet and emergent technologies for those trying to make a fortune in the early twenty first century.