Widely considered the most timeless, helpful self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People is deserving of praise. However, I am skeptical of the book's reliance on anecdotes as a teaching tool. While Dale's points are all valid, doing anything other than gradually adopting these methods of interaction will probably make you look and feel like a bozo. Generally, the argumentative grump who hits the ground running after reading the book is going to seem manipulative, the "unlikeable" guy who doesn't bring anything to the table still isn't going to have many friends, and the salesman is still just trying to close. The author touches on this, but you can't become "genuine" by just flipping a switch inside your brain.

While easy to criticize eighty years later, it's a wonderful guide. The "begin with praise..." advice is similar to Ben Horowitz's "Sh*t sandwich," as well as countless other pieces of wisdom that have also been adapted into undergraduate and MBA courses for decades. Say what you want, it's the bible of human interaction.