The Bookshelf

The Courage to be Rich by Mark O. Haroldsen, who describes himself as a self-made multimillionaire, contends that one does not need money to become rich but instead one needs the courage to buck popular opinion and to take advantage of the abundant opportunities to make money, basically by buying “yuks” and turning them around. He discusses finding and negotiating with “motivated” sellers and using financial leverage to invest using other people’s money. (Putnam, $14.95 hard cover.)

Trust Deed Investments by Harry Anders (published by R&R; Publishing Co., 14307 Bessamer St., Van Nuys 91367; 215 pages, paperback, $20) provides suggestions on how to protect investments in trust deeds.

How to Buy an Office Building by John T. Reed (Reed Publishing, 342 Bryan Drive, Danville, Calif. 94526, $19.95 plus $1.50 postage and sales tax for California residents) is the second edition of a very readable handbook and checklist for investors in office buildings. Reed is an experienced author and investor and his writing style is a long way from the leaden prose typical of real estate books. He assumes nothing, so the book is an excellent guide through the mine field of investment real estate.

Real Wealth by Wade Cook (Regency Books, Box 24190, Tempe, Ariz. 85282, $16.95, 244 pages) explains in detail the “money machine” concept Cook discussed in an earlier book, “How to Build a Real Estate Money Machine.” Like other real estate authors, Cook believes that investment real estate is one of the few ways the average person can build a tax-sheltered estate. He discusses all the usual topics, from selecting the right property to financing and management. A readable book, unencumbered by the boilerplate tables that many real estate authors use to pad their books.