Q #206: Who is Tom Butler-Bowdon and why is he important?

For whatever reasons, Butler-Bowdon is not as well-known and as highly-regarded in the United States as he is elsewhere, notably in Europe and especially in the UK. He is the author of each volume in the 50 Classics series. He selected and then discusses 50 primary sources for each of five subjects: prosperity, psychology, success, self-help, and spirituality.

For those seeking guidance to the books that offer inspiration and thought-provocation in one or more of the five subject areas, know of no one else who is better qualified than Butler-Bowen is to provide it. In each of the five volumes, he provides a brief bio of each author, then briefly discusses a few key ideas and the significance of a work. Here is a representative selection of authors and works featured in 50 Prosperity Classics:

In the next four Q&As (#207-210), I will briefly discuss one of the other 50 Classics. All are published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing and available in paperbound editions.

P.T. Barnum, The Art of Money Getting (1885)
Warren Buffett, The Essays (2008)
Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat (2005)
Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start (2004)
Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor (2003)

Here is an excerpt from Brenda Vongova’s article that appeared in Harbus, the independent student newspaper for the Harvard Business School (May, 2009): “America, the land of opportunity and success, is one of the wealthiest countries in the world; yet, the country is also known to be one of the highest Prozac-popping countries in the world. Perhaps the definition of wealth and prosperity must be more carefully defined. According to Tom Butler-Bowden, author of 50 Prosperity Classics, wealth is simply the possession of money or assets. However, prosperity is about the larger ideas of good fortune, abundance and well-being. While wealth is about the idea of owning the material, prosperity is about securing a peaceful state of mind built on the knowledge that the universe is an essentially abundant place… If you are interested in securing the cycle of prosperity, one of best books to read this summer on the sources of prosperity is 50 Prosperity Classics, an inspirational amalgamation of commentaries of the best books written on how to live an abundant life. It is a true jewel.”

Here is a link to the entire article:

http://media.www.harbus.org/media/storage/paper343/news/2008/05/05/Ae/Genuine.Prosperity-3366657.shtml

Here is a link to Butler-Bowdon’s Web site where you can obtain more information about him and his works. You can also sign up for e-mail alerts:

http://www.butler-bowdon.com/

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob