In an ongoing effort to read the personal finance classics, I sought out one of the first personal finance books in modern times, and thus one that is referenced frequently. That book, The Richest Man in Babylon, did not disappoint. Come for the by the vaguely pornographic novel and stay for the sound personal finance advice.

I’m not particularly good at book reviews, and didn’t intend to write one about The Richest Man in Babylon. In fact, this isn’t really a book review. But when I started reading this bit of personal finance smut I felt I had to share some of the highlights. Do I have a sophomoric sense of humor? Sure. But I think you’ll agree that these original George Clason pamphlets start out a bit steamy.

The Filthiest Man in Babylon

Written in 1926 and set in ancient Babylon (roughly 600 B.C.), this book begins with a series of unintentional sexual overtones that brought intermittent chuckles along with its straight-forward and practical message.

My first inkling that I accidently picked up 50 Shades of Babylon came in a description that our first protagonist, Bansir, gives of his friendship to Kobbi, which included this salacious detail:

As young men, we shared each other’s pleasures. As grown men, we have always been close friends.

This just felt like a curious bit of detail about the youthful days of our first characters, but I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought if not for the author’s verb choice just two pages later:

“Income, that is the thing,” ejaculated Bansir.

Woah! A simple “he said” would have sufficed. I admit I don’t read many books from the Roaring 20s, but even The Great Gatsby demonstrated a tad more subtlety. Naturally, once your mind starts to wander down a certain path, even the seemingly innocent seems raunchy:   

Your savings are gone, youth, you have jerked your wealth-tree up by the roots.

At this point, I’m not giving you the benefit of the doubt, George. You dirty dog, you. But again, I turned the page. And just for good measure:

And some day I shall buy me a young ass upon which to ride.

Sure, you chalk that one up to an etymology evolution. But I say, what happens in Babylon, stays in Babylon. Except, luckily for our sake, the financial lessons of this ancient time.

In all seriousness, while the first 15 pages of this book set a weird tone, this slowly morphed into the personal finance classic I had been expecting. Perhaps our author simply wanted to hook his readers by whatever means necessary. And it worked.

The Richest Man in Babylon, reviewed

To my surprise, I enjoyed the parabolic prose and found the dialogue to be engaging. The message was simple and concise. The lengthier tales of Babylon’s Richest Man, Gold Lender, Camel Trader and Luckiest Man were captivating and effective. The stories did well to hammer home some simple personal finance concepts that tend to require frequent reinforcement.

And there were plenty of great, non-innuendo-laden one-liners throughout. One of my favorites, regarding elders whose advice is sought by aspiring and enterprising individuals:

I am becoming an old man, and an old tongue loves to wag.

It’s a great reminder that wisdom is readily shared by those who possess it, and passed down with eagerness to those who seek it. Your experiences are unique to you, but not unique to human history. The trials and tribulations of your days—financial or otherwise—have much in common with those who walked the Earth thousands of years ago, let alone a few decades ago. Ask, and the old tongues shall wag.   

The main theme of the book, though, can be summarized by this next quote:

A part of all you earn is yours to keep. It should be not less than a tenth no matter how little you earn. It can be as much more as you can afford. Pay yourself first.

I wonder, is this the first instance of the phrase “pay yourself first” in a finance book? Either way, it’s noteworthy in that one of the main mantras of the FIRE community can be found in print 100 years ago. Or even carved onto a clay tablet 2,000 years ago. It’s a financial premise that clearly withstands the test of time.

A personal finance classic worth the read

Many of the book’s teachings are summarized by the first two chapters and then simply reiterated throughout the rest of the text. Similar to The Wealthy Barber, the message boils down to a fairly simple instruction: save 10 percent of what you earn. Once that’s accomplished, find a way to put your money to work for you. Don’t squander your earnings and, what’s more, don’t just sit around jerking your wealth-tree, so to speak, once you have accumulated a few shekels. Take advantage of profitable opportunities when they arise, but learn to distinguish real opportunities from sketchy schemes.

The pornographic nature of the book, and therefore much of its humor, tapers off after a few chapters. But if you’re into personal finance porn, this is the book for you. I should note that I read the original version of this book, typos and all. It’s possible that some of the pornographic elements have since been censored. I hope not.

It’s here that I’ll disclose that should you make the $4.98 purchase of this book via the Amazon links on this site, I receive a 4% cut of that price tag—or about 20 cents. I’m relying on these Amazon links in my journey toward joining the Babylonian elite. And sex sells, baby.

Regardless of how much gold doth thy possess, The Richest Man in Babylon is a quick and entertaining read suitable to anyone even remotely interested in accumulating wealth. PG-13 though it may be at the start, I highly recommend it as an introductory book for those beginning their personal finance journey. It’s especially useful for someone who is more apt to learn through stories rather than raw numbers.

Simply put, The Richest Man in Babylon represents a brand of personal finance pornography you won’t be ashamed to be caught reading.