Outwitting the Devil

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Outwitting the Devil is a non-fiction book by Napoleon Hill. He wrote it in 1938, but it was considered too controversial to publish at the time. The book is written as a conversation between Hill (called Mr. Earthbound) and the devil (referred to as Your Majesty), where Hill explores the biggest obstacles to freedom and success and how people can overcome them to reach their goals. It was finally published in June 2011 by Sterling Publishing, with annotations by Sharon Lechter.

Hill began writing the book after Think and Grow Rich, hoping to explain why some people still fail even after following his earlier steps. His wife Annie Lou did not want the book published because of the devil character. After Hill died in 1970, Annie Lou held onto the manuscript until her death in 1984. It then passed to Dr. Charles Johnson, Annie Lou’s nephew and president of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Johnson’s wife, Frankie, also did not want it published during her life. After Frankie’s death, Dr. Johnson gave the manuscript to Don Green, CEO of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Sharon Lechter edited and annotated the manuscript for release in 2011.