Think and Grow Rich audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
Napoleon Hill’s 1937 success classic sets out thirteen “steps to riches”, from desire to persistence. Plenty of recordings exist, and the full original text read by one narrator edges it to audio.
Listen on Audible
Listen to Think and Grow Rich, but only just. It is one man’s argument from start to finish, with no story or characters, and Jeffrey Ito reads the full 1937 text alone, so a single narrator suits it. Pick print if you want to underline the thirteen steps and come back to them.
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The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK listing, our verdict | US listing |
|---|---|---|
| Narrator | Jeffrey Ito | Jeffrey Ito |
| Length | 10 hours 8 minutes (10h 8m), unabridged | 10 hours 8 minutes (10h 8m), unabridged |
| At 1.5x | about 6h 45m | about 6h 45m |
| At 2x | about 5h 4m | about 5h 4m |
| Audio publisher and date | Listed as Napoleon Hill, 27 June 2024, as “Think and Grow Rich: 1937 Edition” | Listed as Napoleon Hill, 27 June 2024 |
| Audiobook price | £14.08 on Audible UK | $20.28 on Audible US |
| Kindle price | Not listed | Not listed |
| Capstone Classics hardback, original text, 400 pages, 2009 | Sound Wisdom paperback, original text, 400 pages, 2016 | |
| Listener rating | Performance 3.00 from 3 ratings | Performance 4.08 from 144 ratings |
The 1937 text is out of copyright in the US, so Audible carries many recordings. We only considered listings that name the 1937 text. All of those have a single narrator, so the newest, Jeffrey Ito’s, is the one scored. Others read the same text: Erik Synnestvedt (9h 35m), Fred Stella (10h 52m), Mark White (10h 1m) and Rich Germaine (10h 27m, the version the Napoleon Hill Foundation recommends).
Versions to avoid if you want the original: Joel Fotinos for Penguin (abridged, revised for the 21st century), “The Original Version, Restored and Revised”, “For the Modern Reader”, the Nightingale-Conant listing, excerpts, bundles and summaries. The common UK Vermilion paperback (320 pages) is the updated Arthur R. Pell text, not the 1937 original. Ratings and prices checked 5 November 2026. Prices change often. Amazon US does not show Kindle prices outside the US, so US Kindle prices are not given.
Lengths checked 5 November 2026. Speed times are calculated.
Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill
- Genre
- Self-help, success
- First published
- 1937 (The Ralston Society)
- Length
- 400 pages (Capstone hardback, original text)
- On audio
- 10 hrs 8 mins, Jeffrey Ito (1937 text); many other recordings
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Checked, not a factor here (12)
One man’s argument, read by one narrator (7), gives listening 7, and nothing scores for reading. That puts it at 64%, a close call that edges to audio. A clear-cut verdict needs more than 7 points on one side.
Every book gets the same thirteen checks, set in advance. Verdicts are never paid for or influenced by affiliate links. Last edited 5 November 2026, and rechecked every year as editions and narrators change. Read the checks in full · Is listening the same as reading? See what the research says.
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Jeffrey Ito, Napoleon Hill, 2024, 10h 8m, unabridged
- Critic review
- No critic review of this recording found
- Alternatives
- Erik Synnestvedt, Fred Stella, Mark White and Rich Germaine also read the 1937 text
- What you miss
- Nothing. There’s no chart, map or special layout
What this book actually is
Think and Grow Rich is Napoleon Hill’s 1937 success book. It sets out thirteen steps to riches, running from Desire through Faith, Autosuggestion, Imagination, Organised Planning, Decision and Persistence to the Sixth Sense, illustrated with stories of real business figures.
The 1937 text is out of copyright in the US, which is why there are so many editions, and several modern versions revise or shorten it. Some of Hill’s claims are disputed: Andrew Carnegie’s biographer David Nasaw says he “found no evidence of any sort that Carnegie and Hill ever met”. Its examples and attitudes are of the 1930s.
The case for reading it
Nothing on the reading side scores. The book has no story, maps or tricky layout, so print has no built-in advantage.
Read it if you want to work through the thirteen steps with a pen: it is a book many people underline, return to and use as a checklist. Check the edition, though, as the common UK paperback is the updated text, not the 1937 original.
The case for listening to it
It is Hill’s own argument from start to finish, with no characters or story to follow, so one narrator suits it. Jeffrey Ito reads the full 1937 text alone in just over 10 hours.
Listeners rate his performance 4.08 from 144 ratings on Audible US. If you’d rather a different voice, the other full-text recordings by Erik Synnestvedt, Fred Stella, Mark White and Rich Germaine are also single narrators.
The audiobook in detail
Jeffrey Ito reads “Think and Grow Rich: 1937 Edition” unabridged in 10 hours 8 minutes, released on 27 June 2024. The listing says “all the original language, context, and content preserved”. No PDF comes with it.
Rich Germaine’s recording for Sound Wisdom is made from Hill’s own copy of the March 1937 first edition and is the version the Napoleon Hill Foundation recommends. Erik Synnestvedt’s 2007 recording for Ascent Audio is the most rated.
Who should ignore this verdict
This is a close call, and the only point is a modest one for audio. Read it if you plan to study the steps and come back to them; listen if you want to take in Hill’s argument on a commute.
Kindle
- 400 pages (Capstone hardback, original text)
- Check the edition: some are the updated text
- About 6½ hours to read (our estimate)
Related verdicts
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The other 1930s success classic.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Another money-mindset bestseller.
The Psychology of Money
A modern money book for the same reader.
Atomic Habits
Habit and success self-help.
The Power of NowEckhart TolleDifferent verdictThe Power of Now
Another self-help classic.
Sapiens
One narrator, Derek Perkins, reads a book that makes one argument from start to finish, so it flows naturally on audio, and at 528 pages a long read goes further. The maps, photographs and Timeline of History are only in print, as no PDF is known to come with it.
Start hereHow we decide
The thirteen questions behind every verdict on this site.
Questions people ask
Who narrates the Think and Grow Rich audiobook?
Many narrators have recorded it because the 1937 text is out of copyright in the US. The edition scored here is read by Jeffrey Ito. Other full 1937-text recordings are read by Erik Synnestvedt, Fred Stella, Mark White and Rich Germaine.
How long is the Think and Grow Rich audiobook?
Jeffrey Ito’s recording of the 1937 text runs 10 hours 8 minutes: about 6 hours 45 minutes at 1.5x and 5 hours 4 minutes at 2x (calculated). Other full-text recordings run from 9 hours 35 minutes (Erik Synnestvedt) to 10 hours 52 minutes (Fred Stella).
Is the Think and Grow Rich audiobook abridged?
Jeffrey Ito’s recording is unabridged. The Penguin Audio version read by Joel Fotinos is abridged and uses the revised 21st-century text, and “For the Modern Reader” is a shortened, modernised version.
How many pages is Think and Grow Rich?
The 1937 first edition had 238 pages. Modern editions of the original text run to about 380 to 400 pages, and the Vermilion UK paperback of the updated text has 320.
Which Think and Grow Rich audiobook is the original 1937 version?
Recordings described as the 1937 text include Erik Synnestvedt (Ascent Audio), Fred Stella (Brilliance), Mark White (Page2Page), Rich Germaine (Sound Wisdom, the version recommended by the Napoleon Hill Foundation) and Jeffrey Ito.
What are the 13 steps in Think and Grow Rich?
The steps run from Desire through to the Sixth Sense, and include Faith, Autosuggestion, Imagination, Organised Planning, Decision and Persistence.
Did Napoleon Hill really meet Andrew Carnegie?
It is disputed. Carnegie’s biographer David Nasaw says he “found no evidence of any sort that Carnegie and Hill ever met”.
Should I read or listen to Think and Grow Rich?
Listen, but only just. It is one man’s argument with no story or characters, and Jeffrey Ito reads the full 1937 text alone, so one narrator suits it. Read it if you want to underline the thirteen steps and come back to them.
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