[ath92]

I think the resistance towards that particular book is because the full title is "How to win friends and influence people". The last part in particular is what makes it sound sleazy. It would be very different if the book had just been called "How to make friends".

[brtkdotse]

The book was published in 1936. I think the meaning of the word “influence” has evolved to mean something more sinister than what the book is about.

[weinzierl]

> It would be very different if the book had just been called "How to make friends".

I think it is the other way round. People criticize it because "How to make friends" is the first and more prominent part of the title, while the book is not primarily about that. "How to influence people" fits the content much better than "How to win friends" but "influence" isn't the most appropriate word either and I guess that would not have sold the book nearly as well as its actual title.

Apart from that I think there is nothing to criticize about the content, it might be trivial to a degree, but it is solid and ethical advice, if I remember it correctly.

[Kye]

I only read a few chapters of the 1981 revision, but the author always made sure to emphasize that all the tools and techniques were boosters for good intentions, not a replacement for them.

[Ma8ee]

I think many people read the title as “How to befriend people to influence them.”

[bucephale]

Actually, the french translation or this book has got the title "how to make friend" (comment se faire des amis)