Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son by George Horace Lorimer
Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son by George Horace Lorimer — It might seem weird to recommend this 100 year old book, but it really is the best business book I’ve ever read. This book is the preserved (fictional) correspondence between Old Gorgon Graham, a self-made millionaire in Chicago, and his son who is coming of age and entering the family business. The letters date back to the 1890s but feel like they could have been written in any era. Honest. Genuine. Packed with good advice. Whether it’s fictional or not, doesn’t really matter.
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Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I’m Lying, The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, and other books about marketing, culture, and the human condition. His work has been translated into thirty languages and has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. His company, Brass Check, has advised companies such as Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as Grammy Award winning musicians and some of the biggest authors in the world. He lives in Austin, Texas.