''Outwitting the Devil'' is a work of non-fiction that was written in 1938 by Napoleon Hill, which was considered too controversial to be published in its era. The book is written as an interview between Hill (Mr. Earthbound) and the devil (our inner dark self), wherein Hill attempts to uncover the secrets to freedom and success by evaluating the greatest obstacles that humans face in order to attain their personal goals in life. ''Outwitting the Devil'' was released by

Sterling Publishing Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. is a publisher of a broad range of subject areas, with multiple imprints and more than 5,000 titles in print. Founded in 1949 by David A. Boehm, Sterling also publishes books for a number of brands, including AAR ...

in June, 2011, with annotations by

Sharon Lechter Sharon L. Lechter (born January 12, 1954) is an American accountant, author, and businesswoman. She is the co-author of '' Rich Dad Poor Dad'', and the founder and CEO of Pay Your Family First, a financial education organization. In January 2008, ...

Summary

Throughout the story, "Mr. Earthbound" interrogates "Your Majesty", to find out how people limit their success and how Satan achieves his manipulation. Topics discussed in ''Outwitting the Devil'' include: * The difference between drifters and non-drifters * Maintaining a definiteness of purpose * Finding one’s other self * Hill’s seven principles * The law of hypnotic rhythm

History

After the release of '' Think and Grow Rich'', Hill began writing ''Outwitting the Devil'' as an explanation of why some were still seeing failure after following all of the steps in ''Think and Grow Rich''. His wife, Annie Lou, did not want the book published because of the role the Devil played in it. When Hill died in 1970, the manuscript went into the possession of Annie Lou, who died in 1984. After her death, the manuscript went into the hands of Dr. Charles Johnson, who was Annie Lou’s nephew and president of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. While Dr. Johnson believed the book’s message to be powerful, his wife, Frankie Johnson, shared Annie Lou’s feelings and told Dr. Johnson that she did not want the manuscript published while she was alive. After Frankie’s death, Dr. Johnson passed the manuscript to Don Green, CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Sharon Lechter was then asked to edit the manuscript, and after several years of annotations and reviews, it was released in June, 2011.

Bibliography

''Outwitting the Devil: the Secret to Freedom and Success'', by Napoleon Hill and Sharon L. Lechter. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2011.

References

{{Reflist * JM Emmert
Rich Man, Poor Man
in

SUCCESS Success is the state or condition of meeting a defined range of expectations. It may be viewed as the opposite of failure. The criteria for success depend on context, and may be relative to a particular observer or belief system. One person mig ...

, January 11, 2010. * Douglas Paul Alp
Napoleon Hill - Outwitting the Devil
on ''It's About Your Success'', June 18, 2011.
A Brief Essay by Dr. Hill About Life
on The Napoleon Hill Foundation. * Kimberley Mosher
Book Review: 'Outwitting the Devil', after over 70 years
o
TNGG // The Next Generation
June 18, 2011. 1938 non-fiction books Self-help books Sterling Publishing books