Max Gunther (1926-1998), born in England, went to the United States when he was 11 years old, attended schools in New Jersey and received his BA from Princeton University in 1949. He served in the US Army in 1950 and 1951 and was a staff member of Business Week from 1951 to 1955. Mr Gunther then served as a contributing editor of Time for two years. From 1956 he published articles in several magazines, including Playboy. Among his other books are The Zurich Axioms, The Luck Factor, How to Get Lucky and The Very Very Rich.
Mr Gunther lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where his wife was a real-estate broker. They had three children. The author said that his diversions included surfing and skating, carving chess sets and playing chess, and painting.
Acknowledgments
The Pantsmaker by Donald T. Jones. Reprinted with permission from the July 1971 issue of SUCCESS UNLIMITED, 6355 Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60660, originally titled Levi, the Pants-Maker. Copyright 1972. Further reprint rights reserved.
Where the Fortunes Grow: Sam Wyly and Harvey Schuster. Reprinted from U.S News & World Report, December 15, 1969, originally titled How to Make a Million. Copyright 1969, U.S News & World Report, Inc.
The Lady Who Won by Losing. Reprinted from the March 4, 1967 issue of BUSINESS WEEK by special permission. Copyright 1967 by McGraw-Hill, Inc.
The Man Who Won by Losing by Steve Yahn originally titled Make Way. Reprinted with permission from the Chicago Daily News, May 22, 1972.
Selling to the Sellers by Kathryn D. Clausen originally titled The Man from Sif-Tee, Inc. Reprinted with permission from the May 1970 issue of SUCCESS UNLIMITED, 6355 Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60660. Copyright 1970. Further reprint rights reserved.
The Men from Wham-O by Wesley S. Griswold. Reprinted courtesy of Popular Science Monthly, originally titled Can You Invent a Million-Dollar Fad? Copyright 1965 Popular Science Publishing Co. Inc.
Mr. Gentrys Terrible-Tasting Cereal by Sanford L. Jacobs originally titled What Tastes Terrible and Doubles in Sales Every 60 Days or So? Reprinted with permission of The Wall Street Journal. Copyright 1972 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Downhill Riser by Arthur Herzog originally titled A Head for Skis from True Magazine. Copyright 1962, Fawcett Publications, Inc.
The Well-Sited Airport originally titled Gassing Up the VIPs. Reprinted by special permission from DUNS, July 1970. Copyright 1970, Dunn & Bradstreet Publications Corporation.
The Well-Timed Wheels by Steve Yahn originally titled Free Wheeler. Reprinted with permission from the Chicago Daily News, May 30, 1972.
The Service Everybody Needed by Martin Abramson. Newspaper article reprinted with permission of the author.
Scoring in the Athlete Market by Martin Abramson. Newspaper article reprinted with permission of the author.
High News in the Music Business by Stanley H. Brown. Reprinted from the September 1967 issue of FORTUNE magazine by special permission. Copyright 1967 by Time, Inc.
If It Doesnt Fit, Cut a Hole in It by Joan Rattner Heilman. Reprinted from FAMILY CIRCLE, March 1973; originally titled She Made a Million on a Shoe-string.
If Its Cumbersome, Fold It by Arthur Herzog originally titled He Found TVs Magic Wand. Reprinted from True Magazine. Copyright 1961, Fawcett Publications, Inc.
A Lobsterman in Maine by Arthur Herzog originally titled He Put Wings on Lobsters. Reprinted from True Magazine. Copyright 1961, Fawcett Publications, Inc.
A Groceryman in Utah by Elaine S. McKay originally titled Success Is a Do-It-Yourself Grocery Store. Reprinted from the April 1971 issue of SUCCESS UNLIMITED, 6355 Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60660. Copyright 1971. Further reprint rights reserved.
From Nowhere to Almost Everywhere in Three Years... And How Its Done by Howard Brown originally titled Be a Winner. Reprinted by permission of Howard Brown and Plaza Group Inc. All rights reserved.
How to Make Old Ideas New by Max Gunther. Reprinted from True Magazine. Copyright 1967, Fawcett Publications, Inc.
The Great Borrower Ascendant and The Great Borrower Down a Peg. Reprinted by permission of FORBES Magazine.
The Nose-Thumber Ascendant by John J. OConnor. Reprinted with permission from the January 25, 1971 issue of Advertising Age. Copyright 1971 by Crain Communications Inc.
The Nose-Thumber Down a Peg by John J. OConnor. Reprinted with permission from the September 11, 1972 issue of Advertising Age. Copyright 1971 by Crain Communications Inc.
A Club for Future Millionaires by Matt Dana originally titled The Future Millionaires Club. Reprinted with permission from the June 1971 issue of SUCCESS UNLIMITED, 6355 Broadway, Chicago, Illinois 60660. Copyright 1971. Further reprint rights reserved.
Fourteen Fast Fortunes of the Future by Max Gunther Reprinted from True Magazine. Copyright 1971, Fawcett Publications, Inc.
Editors Note
Become a happy hare
Why do Levis have rivets? Why was Gone With the Wind almost never published? What is the Second-Man Effect? And why if it doesnt fit should you cut a hole in it?
From the man who saw a mint opportunity to the man who sold holes, from motorcycles to Monopoly to maternity wear, frisbees to fire alarms to franchising, its all here. Max Gunther introduces three dozen people who wanted instant wealth and got it.
Yes, this book was originally published in the 1970s, but the key steps on the route to wealth do not change greatly with time. You still need to be able to spot an opportunity, see a gap in the market or capitalise on the untapped potential of an existing product. The methods applied in this book can be learned from, adapted and applied by anyone today. Plus, you can review Maxs 14 predictive ideas to make a new generation instant millionaires, as he foresaw it at the time and follow his route map to success.
We wish you a lucky route to fast fortune.