Book Review: The Richest Man in Babylon

George S. Clason. St. Martin’s Essentials, Published: October 26, 2021

Between 1920 and 1924 George S. Clason wrote a series of pamphlets that were distributed by banks and insurance companies. In 1926 the pamphlets were compiled into a book, The Richest Man in Babylon and Other Stories. A hundred years later and it is still considered one of the best books on how to build wealth.

The interesting thing about building wealth is that the concept is very simple. Understand where you are, spend less than you make, and invest the difference. That’s it. The details may change as the access to opportunities change, but the concept is the same now as it was a hundred years ago, and probably the same as it was 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia.

As with most things in life, the theory is easy, implementation is the hard part.

Now, when I first read the book, I thought it was a translation of a book that was thousands of years old. After rereading the book for a second time, I am left with no choice but to roll my eyes at myself for thinking that was the case. Although George sets the book in ancient Babylon, the social concepts used are a lot more modern than what I would expect a 4000-year-old book to hold. Even so, it is a fun story as long as you can get past the 1920’s social sensibilities and language.