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Clason Map Company

American author (1874–1957)

George Samuel Clason (November 7, 1874 – April 7, 1957) was an American author. He is most often associated with his book The Richest Man in Babylon which was first published in 1926.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

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George Samuel Clason (November 7, 1874 – April 7, 1957) was an American author. He is most often associated with his book The Richest Man in Babylon which was first published in 1926.2

How it started

Early life and education

Clason was born in Louisiana, Missouri. He attended the University of Nebraska. He served in the United States Army during the Spanish–American War.

Career

Clason started two companies, the Clason Map Company of Denver, Colorado and the Clason Publishing Company. The Clason Map Company was the first to publish a road atlas of the United States and Canada, but did not survive the Great Depression.

Clason is best known for writing a series of informational pamphlets about being thrifty and how to achieve financial success. He started writing the pamphlets in 1926, using parables that were set in ancient Babylon. Banks and insurance companies began to distribute the parables, and the most famous ones were compiled into the book The Richest Man in Babylon - The Success Secrets of the Ancients. He is credited with coining the phrase, "Pay yourself first".

From Wikipedia’s article on Clason Map Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Sources

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