The Dice Man

 Some books dig into your brain and lodge themselves there, even if you finished them decades ago. The Dice Man is such a book.

I read it in high school in the early 1970s. The memory is still with me. I still have the paperback book, too. It’s an unforgettable novel about a man who learns to make every decision by rolling dice. 

It’s an addictive read. It’s at times hilarious, at other times disturbing.

Inspired by the book, I remember rolling dice for high school decisions. It was liberating, but also dangerous. If you didn’t balance the roll of the dice with critical thinking, you could end up in trouble, as the book’s character reveals.

The Dice Man became a cult classic. It’s still an underground bestseller. One day there will be a movie of it. First editions of the book are nearly impossible to find.

So imagine my surprise when I roamed around a used book store and discovered a first edition hardcover signed by the author to his wife.

I instantly bought it, of course. I was so excited that I was tingling the rest of the day.

In that same book store I found a signed copy of Think and Grow Rich, the book that has made more millionaires than any other.

Napoleon Hill’s signature is worth gold, and I eagerly paid for the signed volume. It’s going in a locked glass display case with my other prized autographed books, such as ones by Neville Goddard, P.T. Barnum, Edward L. Bernays and of course Luke Rhinehart, the author of The Dice Man.

The author of The Dice Man also wrote one of the top five most life changing books of all time: The Book of est. I think it’s the greatest self-help book ever written.

The Book of est is even harder to find. Even the author doesn’t have copies. It’s a fictionalized account of the famous “est” training of the 1970s, created by Werner Erhard, and it’s one of the most hypnotic books ever written. I love it.

Last year Mark Ryan and I released it, with the author’s consent, as an e-book. You can get it at www.bookofest.com (In a week or so you’ll be able to order printed copies of the book from the same site.)

Some day we may get to re-publish The Dice Man, too.

We’ll just have to see what the dice roll…

Ao Akua,

Joe
www.mrfire.com

PS – The bookseller who sold The Dice Man to me was so influenced by the book that he carries dice in his pocket. He pulled them out and showed me. He said he makes decisions with the roll of the dice. I can only imagine he lets the dice advise him and not control him. At least I hope that’s the case.

Note: I know you may be curious, so here are the facts. I found the autographed books at Sam Wellers Bookstore. The list price for the signed Hill volume was $1,000; the signed Dice Man book was listed at $500. My rule of thumb is to reward myself after accomplishing goals. Since I had just recorded 17 audios and 5 videos the two days before, buying the rare books was an easy decision. I didn’t even need to roll the dice.