In this way this _Basic Course of Reading_ will lay a firm and broad foundation, first, for an understanding of the methods and devices whereby any man may acquire full control and direction of his mental energies and may develop his resources to the last degree; second, for an understanding of the psychological methods for success in any specific professional pursuit in which he may be particularly interested; and third, for an understanding of the methods of applying psychological knowledge to the industrial problems of office, store and factory. The first of these--that is to say, instruction in methods for the attainment of any goal consistent with native ability--will follow right along as part of this _Basic Course of Reading._ The second and third--that is to say, the study of special commercial and industrial topics--are made the subject of special courses supplemental to this _Basic Course_ and for which it can serve only as an introduction. [Sidenote: A Step Beyond Collegiate Psychology] In this _Basic Course of Reading_ we shall show you how you may acquire perfect individual efficiency. And, most remarkable of all, we shall show you how you may acquire it _without that effort to obtain it, that straining of the will, that struggling with wasteful inclinations and desires, that is itself the essence of inefficiency_. The facts and principles set forth in this _Basic Course_ are new and wonderful and inspiring. They have been established and attested by world-wide and exhaustive scientific research and experiment. [Sidenote: The Eternal Laws of Individual Achievement] You may be a college graduate. You may have had the advantage of a college course in psychology. But you have probably had no instruction in the practical application of your knowledge of mental operations. So far as we are aware, there are few universities in the world that embrace in their curricula a course in "applied" psychology. For the average college man this _Basic Course of Reading_ will be, therefore, in the nature of a post-graduate course, teaching him how to make practical use of the psychology he learned at college, and in addition giving him facts about the mind unknown to the college psychology of a few years ago. In these books you will probe deeply into the normal human mind. You will see also the fantastic and distorted shape of its manifestations in disease. You will learn the Eternal Laws of Individual Achievement. [Sidenote: How to Master Our Methods] And you will be taught how to apply them to your own business or profession. But mark this word of warning. To comprehend the teachings of this _Basic Course_ well enough to put them into practice demands from you careful study and reflection. It requires persistent application. Do not attempt to browse through the pages that follow. They are worth all the time that you can put upon them.