30 pages • 1 hour read
Og MandinoThe Greatest Salesman in the World
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1968A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 1-2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
In the city of Jerusalem during biblical times, an extremely wealthy man named Hafid walks about his marble mansion decorated with gems. He stares at himself in a bronze mirror, his only youthful trait being his eyes. He walks to the warehouse behind his mansion, which is filled with rare goods from around the world—like honey, wool, and glass. Hafid always distributes half of his profits to the less fortunate but now decides to give away almost everything. He meets with his bookkeeper and most trusted friend, Erasmus. Erasmus calculates that between Hafid’s gold and wares, he likely has around 10 million gold talents (a talent being approximately 100 pounds of gold).
Hafid instructs Erasmus to sell everything and then redistribute the gold to the less fortunate—bar what Hafid needs to live. Erasmus is shocked and hesitates to follow orders for once, but Hafid reminds him that his plans have not failed before. He also tells Erasmus to give his emporiums to their respective managers, as well as 5,000 gold talents; he offers Erasmus himself the warehouse, palace, and 50,000 gold talents. Erasmus struggles to accept, worried about what will happen to Hafid. Hafid compliments Erasmus’s ability to live for others and explains that he hopes to fulfill one last promise before joining his wife, Lisha, in the afterlife.
Chapter 2 Summary
A caravan is sent to Hafid’s emporiums to hand over ownership and gold. When the task is done, Hafid summons Erasmus and takes him to a tower that he has had locked for decades. Inside, the room is dark but for a gleam of light that shines on a single wooden chest. Erasmus admits that rumors have circulated about Hafid’s secret room. Hafid claims the chest contains something more valuable than diamonds: It contains 10 leather scrolls with principles for achieving “success, happiness, love, peace of mind, and wealth” (11). Hafid admits that these scrolls were passed onto him and that his success is owed to their wisdom. He awaits the day when a destined person appears to inherit the scrolls. He asks Erasmus to wait with him until this day comes, and Erasmus agrees.
Chapters 1-2 Analysis
Chapters 1-2 of The Greatest Salesman in the World explain Hafid’s circumstances, hint at his scrolls’ principles, and foreshadow the arrival of his destined successor. The story begins at the end of Hafid’s life, creating a cycle in which there is no true beginning or end. He is first defined by his wealth because it is key to the story and symbolizes his success. His home is described in depth to illustrate the sheer scale of his wealth: Despite giving away half of his profits to the less fortunate, he boasts a palace with “black onyx columns rising to support ceilings burnished with silver and gold” (1). Despite his wealth, Hafid is burdened by unfinished business, soon revealed to be his promise to pass on 10 scrolls to a worthy recipient. As he approaches death, “only the eyes have retained their youth” (1), and he knows his time to fulfill this promise grows short. There is an atmosphere of mystery and suspense as Erasmus and the reader wait to learn of Hafid’s past. Like the gradual unlocking of his tower and chest, he will gradually reveal the lessons that made him the man he is.
In explaining the purpose of the 10 scrolls to Erasmus, Hafid also implores the reader “to become a master in the art of sales” (12). The Art and Principles of Sales become a source of inspiration for people wishing to live by Christian principles. Biblical references are interspersed throughout the novella—including the 10 scrolls (which echo Moses’ 10 commandments), the divine light that illuminates Hafid’s chest, and Hafid’s description of himself as an “instrument of fulfillment” for a divine purpose (14). The story takes place in biblical times, which is hinted at with phrases like “gold talents” and regions like Palmyra. Biblical values, such as Hafid’s praise for Erasmus’s devotion, are further evidence of the story’s religious undertone.
