Onward to Fame and Fortune; or , Climbing Life's Ladder
New York: Christian Herald, 1897. Large Octavo. Item #025531
446 pages, index, profusely illustrated, portraits. While the cult of success can be traced back to Poor Richard's Almanac, it reached its zenith in the Gilded Age in the period from 1870 to 1910. The self-help philosophy of Samuel Smiles was developed by Thayer with hundreds of examples with illustrations of those whose success was traced purely to hard work and inventiveness. The idea was that character was capital and those with it would achieve success. This was one of the most influential works and loved by those who were the highly successful. Implicit in this was those who struggled with poverty had not applied themselves. Although this idea was moribund by the Great Depression, it is still espoused by those who have no understanding of either the barriers of economic disadvantage or the situations where poverty can be traced to circumstances beyond the control of those whose best efforts are insufficient. This is why the attraction to Horatio Alger appeals to those who are most unlikely to have a social conscience. Bound in red cloth lettered and decorated in black, green and gilt, pictorial spine lettered and decorated in black, near fine.
Price: $80.00