Search results for ""author samuel smiles""

'The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the true source of national vigour and strength.' A bestseller immediately after its publication in 1859, Self-Help propelled its author to fame and rapidly became one of Victorian Britain's most important statements on the allied virtues of hard work, thrift, and perseverance. Interpreted by some as a paean to personal avarice, Smiles's most celebrated book is in fact a practical and engaging tribute to the working- and lower-middle classes, in whom he identified the capacity for self-improvement and for whom he tirelessly advocated the right of social advancement. Part practical guide, part proverbial testament, part secular hagiography, this literary hybrid turns biography into an inspirational medium that awakens readers to their own potential and instils the desire to succeed. Smiles's book is the precursor of today's motivational and self-help literature, although its vision is significantly more cosmopolitan than that of most books in a still-expanding genre. This edition includes a fully indexed glossary to the more than 750 names discussed by Smiles. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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This book analyses the 'waste versus profit' concept (as propounded by the British author Samuel Smiles and which found many supporters in mid-nineteenth century Spain) in the four novels of the "Torquemada series", by Benito Perez Galdos ("Torquemada en la hoguera" [1889], "Torquemada en la cruz" [1893], "Torquemada en el purgatorio" [1894] and "Torquemada y San Pedro" [1895]) within the context of the political economy and contemporary socio-cultural and medical debates. It investigates the extent to which notions of profit, efficiency and utility inform the "Torquemada" series by being juxtaposed with contemporary ideas on economic waste, inefficiency and loss, providing new insights into and a better understanding of the series.

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