Charles Haanel (1866 - 1949) was a prominent U.S. businessman who, in addition to having built one of the largest companies in the world at that time, also authored several books in the New Thought genre. Generally speaking, the books were intended to share his life and business success philosophy.

The Master Key System originated sometime between 1909 and 1912 as a correspondence course, reportedly delivered as weekly lessons to a wealthy clientele. The correspondence course was subsequently compiled and formalized into a book, The Master Key System, with only slight modification and released in 1919. The release of this book had the effect of making Charles Haanel’s personal success philosophy available to the general public and reportedly sold over 200,00 copies.

In 1905, prior writing the Master Key System, Mr. Haanel consolidated a sugar and coffee plantation in the Tehuantepec region in Mexico with six other acquisitions (Mount Rosa Land and Cattle Co., the Iolita Plantation, the Pittsburgh Plantation Co., the Jumiapa Plantation and the Mount Verde Plantation). The resulting Continental Commercial Company was one of the largest financial empires of its time

The Continental Commercial Company was one of his first ventures in the business world, and was subsequently followed by others. Haanel was instrumental in organizing the Sacramento Improvement Company (which owned and controlled the largest Tokay vineyards in the world) and was president of the Mexico City Gold & Silver Mining Company.

Walter B. Stevens wrote the following in his book “St. Louis - History of the Fourth City:

“Charles F. Haanel is largely associated with the business interests of the city, being affiliated with a number of enterprises of acknowledged financial worth. Beside being president of the Continental Commercial Company he is also president of the Sacramento Valley Improvement Company and president of the Mexico Gold and Silver Mining Company. Mr. Haanel is in every sense of the word a self-made man, having risen in the commercial world to his present station of worth and prominence by the utilization of his own natural resources.

He is a man of mature judgment, capable of taking a calm survey of life and correctly valuing its opportunities, its possibilities, its demands and obligations. He has sought success along the lines of least resistance and yet when difficulties and obstacles have confronted him, he has displayed a force of character that has enabled him to overcome them and continue on the pathway to prosperity. Many a man whose life is one of untiring industry does not win success for he lacks the complement to industry a laudable ambition which prompts the individual to reach out into other fields and eagerly grasp the opportunities that are presented. in these qualities Mr. Haanel is richly endowed and has thus attained his present enviable position in financial circles” (S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., St. Louis, 1909).

Having made his fortune by 1909, he subsequently resigned as a businessman to pursue a career as an author and today he is best known for the Master Key System, as both a correspondence course offered between 1909 and 1912 and as a book, released in 1916. It was subsequently followed his other books, including: Mental Chemistry (1922), The New Psychology (1924), A Book About You (1928), The Psychology of Business Success (1930’s) and The Amazing Secrets of the Yogi (1937), coauthored with Victor Simon Perera.

Visit the Integrated Success Program web-site for these and other classic books under the “Personal Development” genre.

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