The Richest Man in Babylon

Signet, 2004

15 min read

10 take-aways

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What's inside?

In its day, Babylon was the richest city in the world. Even now, its inhabitants can tell you how to become wealthy.

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Recommendation

During the late 1920s, writer and entrepreneur George S. Clason created a series of simple parables about the supposed financial “secrets of the ancients.” He compiled these tales, set in Babylon some 8,000 years ago, into an entertaining yet instructive book on becoming wealthy. In the 1930s, during the worst of the Great Depression, and for decades after, readers embraced Clason’s engrossing, elegant little page-turner. They learned of wise Arkad, the richest man in Babylon; of Dabasir, the slave who became a wealthy camel trader; and of Sharru Nada, the rich man who learned about working hard when he was just a youth. Each universal parable teaches invaluable lessons about wealth, how to attain it, nurture it, protect it and sustain it. These stories also convey worthwhile lessons about life. getAbstract understands why Clason’s magical little book has become such an enduring classic. If you read it, you will find that you can put its simple yet sensible lessons to work. Clason calls these lessons the “wisdom of the ages” and the “fixed stars that shine.” His common sense advice about wealth can make you rich in more than money.

Summary

Babylon

In its time, Babylon was remarkable. When the rest of mankind was using stone axes, the ancient Sumerians who inhabited the city armed themselves with sophisticated metal weaponry. They were wise financiers, believed to have invented money. And they were the first to develop promissory notes and property deeds. Babylon’s history traces back 8,000 years into an almost prehistoric past – six millennia before Jesus. Babylon sat next to the Euphrates River in what is now Iraq. Its resourceful inhabitants made the city great and wealthy, and protected it behind giant walls that shielded it from assault.

Today Babylon is only dust, but its wisdom lives on in the form of fired clay tablets where the Sumerians engraved their knowledge of the world, history, poetry and commercial affairs, as well as their day-to-day lives. Modern archaeologists have found hundreds of thousands of these remarkable tablets, which continue to tell fascinating, ageless stories.

Bansir, the Chariot Maker

In the ancient days, a skilled craftsman named Bansir built chariots for the high and mighty. He was a hard worker, but after years of work, he became discouraged and distraught...

About the Author

George S. Clason, businessman and writer, began developing pamphlets about gaining wealth during the late 1920s. Banks distributed his pamphlets, which are the basis for this famous, immensely popular book. Over the years, it has sold more than two million copies.

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R. R. 7 years ago

One of the best books in personal finance. Simple yet very profound concepts. Read the whole book or listen to the audio book. Highly Recommended

George S. Clason