The author links to a good summary of the 11 points that make up most of self-help books.[1] That's the most useful content in the article.
It's worth noting the total absence of collective action from those self-help books. No suggestions to organize a union, or run someone for local office.
That's perhaps a bit harsh. I have got to - however - indeed thank you for that link: The summary of self help books in there is great, and the 11 points are spot on ...
I find books from the early development of a given subject or topic to be really valuable. They might not hold up in terms of overall knowledge, but they also make few assumptions about prior knowledge either.
The author's coming from the point of view that there may not be access to a product, equipment, technique, or expert to help you. So you can learn a set of knowledge, that has too often been erased in the non-specialist body of knowledge, through abstraction or efficiency.
Time is an excellent noise filter. I only read a few books a year. I'm rarely disappointed by classics, and often cant get through the first few pages of modern books.
It's the middle distance of the 1800s that I'm very much into reading now. It's contemporary enough that you can understand it, relates a history that we still teach today, and provides a view into our country that's hard to achieve anywhere else.
Highly recommended recent reads:
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography
Looters of the Public Domain, S.A.D. Puter.
The Boston Tea Party and Memoir of George R.T. Hewes.
Also the novels of the era feel fresh in a way that can’t be reproduced on top of 150 years more novels. Not that there’s nothing new under the sun, but that the new things are harder to reach, both for the reader and for the writer.
For me, referring to Marcus Aurelius as “Aurelius” diminished the author’s credibility, like referring to Queen Elizabeth as “Windsor”. Am I being excessively pedantic?
It's just an abbreviation, doesn't bother me, never read his book. Maybe 'Marcus' would be better, especially if that's the convention used in history books, but it's pretty bog standard to abbreviate a name or title after it's been introduced.
It's worth noting the total absence of collective action from those self-help books. No suggestions to organize a union, or run someone for local office.
[1] https://mashable.com/article/best-self-help-book-advice