Self-help book
Books instructing readers on solving personal problems.
Last updated
The genre takes its name from Samuel Smiles' 1859 bestseller Self-Help.[1] The primary purpose of a self-help book is to provide readers with guidance on resolving personal issues.[1] During the latter part of the twentieth century, self-help books transitioned from a specialized market segment to widespread acceptance.[1]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Self-help; popular psychology
- Earliest example
- Ancient Egyptian codes of conduct
Facts from the source article.
Making and release
Ancient Egyptian codes of conduct contain advice with a "curiously modern note".[2] In classical Rome, Cicero's On Friendship and On Duties served as handbooks.[3] Ovid's Art of Love gave practical instructions on meeting and keeping romantic partners.[4] During the Renaissance, a "flood of educational and self-help materials" appeared.[5]
Dale Carnegie's 1936 How to Win Friends and Influence People shaped the self-help genre.[6] The book sold more than 30 million copies and became one of the best-selling books of all time.[7] Between 1972 and 2000, self-help books increased from 1.1 percent to 2.4 percent of books in print.[8] Guides offering informal advice on daily conduct have been present since the Bronze Age.[2]
The 1960s marked a period when self-help books gained increased cultural visibility.[9]
What the cited sources add
The New York Post article notes that Carnegie's book "regularly makes lists of most-influential books".[7] A spinoff by Carnegie's daughter, How to Win Friends & Influence People for Teen Girls, was updated for the digital age.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Micki McGee, Self-help, Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life (Oxford 2005) p. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: A. Rosalie David, The Egyptian Kingdoms (Oxford 1973) p. 113; McGee, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: H. J. Rose, A Handbook of Latin Literature (London 1967) p. 184-5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Eric Berne, Sex in Human Loving (Penguin 1970) p. 226; Rose, p. 330 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Frank Whigham/Wayne A. Rebhorn eds., The Art of English Poesie (New York 2007) p. 33; Erving Goffman, Relations in Public (Penguin 1971) p. 71; C. G. Jung ed., Man and his Symbols (London 1978) p. 196 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dawson, "'How to Win Friends and Influence People' is now targeting Gen Z girls", New York Post, 8 August 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Dawson, "'How to Win Friends and Influence People' is now targeting Gen Z girls", New York Post, 8 August 2020. facts only, no text reused. nypost.com
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McGee, p. 200 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Self-help book" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dolby, "Self-Help Books: Why Americans Keep Reading Them", University of Illinois Press, 2008, p. 8; . Quote by Steven Starker. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Self-help book (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Self-help book (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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