The Go-Getter is Kyne's most famous work, first published by William Randolph Hearst in 1921. The story centers around disabled World War I veteran Bill Peck, a worker who must overcome many obstacles in order to build a successful life for himself. At every turn he is thwarted by life's circumstances and must rely on his own tenacity and wits to see him through.American novelist PETER B. KYNE (1880-1957) was born in San Francisco, California. From early on it was clear that he had a gift for writing, and his time in the army during the Spanish-American War and World War I gave him plenty to write about. Kyne's novels include The Three Godfathers (1913) and Cappy Ricks (1916).

It was sunrise on the Colorado desert. As the advance guard of dawn emerged from behind the serrated peaks to the east and paused on their snow-encrusted summits before charging down the slopes into the open desert to rout the lingering shadows of the night, a coyote came out of his den in the tumbled malpais at the foot of the range, pointed his nose skyward and voiced his matutinal salute to the Hosts of Light. Presently, far in the distant waste, seven dark objects detached themselves from the shadows and crawled toward the mountains. Like motes swimming in a beam of light, they came out of the Land of Nowhere, in the dim shimmering vistas over west, where the gray line of grease-wood met the blue of the horizon. Slowly they assumed definite shape; and the coyote ceased his orisons to speculate upon the ultimate possibility of breakfast and this motley trio of "desert rats" with their burro train, who dared invade his desolate waterless kingdom.

Although Kyne's tale of business smarts has been around for some time, it doesn't feel dated. It's a straightforward parable about a young war veteran who's handed an opportunity that will either make or break his career. If he accepts the job and pulls it off, he's a go-getter; if he fails, it's curtains. His motto-"It shall be done"--sums up Kyne's point: even if you're unsure, say you can do it. Then figure out how to do it and make sure you succeed. A book about a go-getter that teaches you to be a go-getter.

Ever since its first printing in 1921, The Go-Getter has inspired employees and entrepreneurs to take initiative, increase their productivity, and excel against the odds. In this book, Bill Peck, a war veteran, persuades Cappy Ricks, the crusty founder of the Ricks Logging & Lumbering Company, to let him prove himself with a sales assignment that everyone knows can only lead to failure. When peck beats his quota, he earns the ultimate opportunity and the ultimate test: the quest for the blue vase. Drawing on such classic values as honesty, determination, passion, and responsibility, Peck overcomes nearly insurmountable obstacles to find the vase and launch his career as a successful manager.

In a time when jobs are tight and managers lack the time for mentoring, how can you maintain positive energy, take control of your career, and prepare yourself to ace the tests that come your way? By applying the timeless lessons in this compulsively readable parable, employees at all levels wil