Through the present book, Acres of Diamonds,the renowned American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, and writerRussell Conwell tells us how success is a spiritual idea--the result of one’s spiritual principles. This book shows how to find a fortune-if you know where to look. Conwell believed in the philosophy that "all good things are possible." Hence, he opened the doors of opportunity for untold millions. Acres of Diamonds echoes his core belief that each of us is placed here on earth for the primary purpose of helping others. Conwell was a minister, the founder of Temple University, and two hospitals where no one was ever turned away for lack of money. He was also a famous lecturer. In his lecture, the story is told of a man who sells his farm to travel far and wide in search of diamonds. There is a moral to the story in Acres of Diamonds, a story which Conwell presented as a lecture to more than 6,000 people.

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Contents

An Appreciation — Pgs. 5

Acres of Diamonds — Pgs. 7

Acres of Diamonds [1] — Pgs. 11

1. The Story of the Sword [2] — Pgs. 57

2. The Beginning at Old Lexington — Pgs. 67

3. Story of the Fifty-Seven Cents  — Pgs. 77

4. His Power as Orator and Preacher  — Pgs. 82

5. Gift For Inspiring Others — Pgs. 92

6. Millions of Hearers — Pgs. 102

7. How A University Was Founded  — Pgs. 114

8. His Splendid Efficiency — Pgs. 127

9. The Story of Acres of Diamonds — Pgs. 137

Fifty Years on the Lecture Platform — Pgs. 146

Born to a farmer family onFebruary 15, 1843 in South Worthington, Massachusetts, Russell Herman Conwell was an American Baptist minister, orator, philanthropist, lawyer, and writer. He was the founder and first president of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is widely known as the Pastor of The Baptist Temple, and for his inspirational lecture, Acres of Diamonds. 
Conwell left home to attend the Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy and later Yale University. In 1862, before graduating from Yale, he enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War. From 1862–1864, Conwell served as a captain of a volunteer regiment. After the Civil War, Conwell studied law at the Albany Law School. Over the next several years, he worked as an attorney, journalist, and lecturer first in Minneapolis, then in Boston. Additionally, during this period, he published about ten books—including campaign biographies of Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James A. Garfield. In 1880, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and took over a congregation in Lexington, Massachusetts.