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The 48 Laws of Power | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Greene
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy Used: $9.99
You Save: $14.96 (60%)
New (5) Used (37) Collectible (3) from $9.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  511 reviews
Sales Rank: 67639
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.8 x 1.5
ISBN: 0670881465
Dewey Decimal Number: 303.3
EAN: 9780670881468
ASIN: 0670881465
Publication Date: September 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
"Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective," writes Robert Greene. Mastery of one's emotions and the arts of deception and indirection are, he goes on to assert, essential. The 48 laws outlined in this book "have a simple premise: certain actions always increase one's power ... while others decrease it and even ruin us." The laws cull their principles from many great schemers--and scheming instructors--throughout history, from Sun-Tzu to Talleyrand, from Casanova to con man Yellow Kid Weil. They are straightforward in their amoral simplicity: "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit," or "Discover each man's thumbscrew." Each chapter provides examples of the consequences of observance or transgression of the law, along with "keys to power," potential "reversals" (where the converse of the law might also be useful), and a single paragraph cleverly laid out to suggest an image (such as the aforementioned thumbscrew); the margins are filled with illustrative quotations. Practitioners of one-upmanship have been given a new, comprehensive training manual, as up-to-date as it is timeless.
Product Description
Laws of Power is a practical, readable guide for anyone who wants power, watches power, or want to arm themselves against power. Written by Robert Greene and produced and designed by Joost Elffers, the renowned packager of The Secret Language of Birthdays, The 48 Laws of Power will be known as the essential--and controversial--guide to modern manipulation. In a bold and elegant two-color package, The 48 Laws of Power synthesizes the philosophies of Machiavelli, Suntzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz, with the historical legacies of statesmen, warriors, seducers, and con men throughout the ages. Using the stories of such figures as Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, and P. T. Barnum, the Laws are illustrated through the tactics, triumphs, and failures of those who have wielded-- and those who have been victimized by--Power. At work, in relationships, on the street, or on the five o'clock news, these Laws are exerted everywhere. Whether your interest is conquest, self-defense, or simply being an educated spectator, The 48 Laws of Power will be the most important book you buy this year.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 506 more reviews...
Great Book. Loved it. 48LAWS December 3, 2008
Tao Cycle Therapy: Natural Happiness via Self Directed Cure for Chronic Anxiety & Depression [Updated 2008 3nd Edition]
 Good prison reading November 22, 2008
I got this book for my boyfriend in prison. At first they confiscated it as contraband then returned it to him. He loved the book.
Awesome guide October 24, 2008
I have to saw I was skeptical about this book. I bought it on the recommendation of a family member and I'm so hooked. This book is so incredible and truly gives insight on how to live and be successful dealing with others.
 If you do these things you will end up with NO power. September 23, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Everyone can see through a snake, if not now then eventually. You can fool some people for a short time, but never for long- and the cost is that you need to always be acting and presenting such a lie to the world that it isn't worth it. Think about the people who you know that are using these principles.. dont you see how you would honestly rather see them fall down an elevator shaft than be successful? Well- everyone will eventually feel that way about YOU if you read this book and apply it. Perhaps that should be its title- "Ruin everyones trust in you, and make people want you to fall down an elevator shaft". Confucius calls moral power "te" and says that it can only be gained by virtuous action. It is the only real power and it can only be based in what is virtuous. If you do what is good, then people will see it and reward you. If you do what is evil and pretend it is good, people will eventually see through you and want revenge for you treating them like a fool. If you want real power, realize that if you do these things you will end up thinking the world is always out to get you, with no power whatsoever. If you really want power, learn that virtue IS power, and if you fight THIS ACTUAL LAW, and subscribe to these fake ones, you will end up quite pathetic- always lying to present someone you are not out of insecurity about who you really are. In short you will end up with absolutely no power but very lonely if you do these things.
 My Former Bible August 27, 2008
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
Only two types of people have been and will be attracted to reading this book: those who hope it's about one thing and those who know it's about the other. The former belong to the timid, powerless, low-self esteem majority looking for the ultimate guide to gaining respect and admiration from their peers. The latter belong to the unscrupulous, dare I say sociopathic ever-growing minority whose end goal is to win at everything against everyone by any means. Once the book has been read and fully digested, one of two conclusions will be reached. The first is a sudden awareness of what a perfectly outstanding tool they hold in their hands and the limitless rewards it can afford them. The second is an absolute disgust and horror at what a dangerous volume this is and the malicious behavior it outright encourages. Interestingly, the timid are not always the ones repulsed and the ruthless are not always the ones aroused. The wave can break either way.
Shortly after this book was published, I happened upon it in a bookstore and knew I had to have it. A blaze of energy electrified my body and pounded through the deepest recesses of my mind. I was on fire, I couldn't put it down and yet I knew I could never share it with anyone, the way a child might hide away their favorite toy. In truth I became obsessed. I had to learn and then master every element of every law and take supreme authority over every aspect of my life. Indeed, this book, The 48 Laws of Power, became my bible, the most passionate conquest I had ever sought to undertake.
Within its pages I met with the reflection of every gruesome bully and every merry manipulator I had ever known. Their power was uncanny and yet so mysterious, mostly because I could never fathom how such apparently absent minds could lay so cool yet strike with such venom. It was awe-inspiring, and I had to come to terms with their secrets. The secrets that earned them respect from their enemies and fear from their admirers. The secrets that won them the most buxom women, who always appeared so entranced by even their rudest and most audacious displays. "How could they get away with everything so smoothly?!" I had wondered. "How could they be so desirable?!" I had thought. "HOW?!"
Well...here is how. It is simple.
Some people are given to a heredity and/or an upbringing that nourishes what is commonly considered 'bad' behavior. Certain genes as well as certain parenting styles perpetuate an attitude of unruliness which leads in its purest variety to utter contempt for anyone else's thoughts, feelings, or needs. Their minds develop without a balanced set of experiences, leading them to deduce that the information they received must indeed be correct. This is also applicable to those who suffer violence in their youth, even if that violence is not carried out physically. The fact remains that whatever world with which one is presented is accepted as unmitigated truth. 'Bad' behavior is usually viewed by such a person as normal. Thus selfishness, cruelty, and manipulation are seen as strengths, while compassion, kindness and humility are seen as weaknesses.
Surely there are a bevy of other factors that cannot go without mention. High intelligence, a pleasing appearance, a particular talent, et cetra can all act as lauchpads for immorality if similar virtues in others go unrecognized as being equal. This sense of equality is what it all comes down to, in fact. The very idea of power assumes that another cannot or should not be in a position to where the perspectives of both can be viewed as equally valid. On the one end is the person who is possessed by their own image, on the other is the person who believes that they have no intrinsic worth at all. The two feed off of each other in a sadistic/masochistic symbiotic relationship. The point then comes to bear that a person who believes himself powerful only remains so long as the other believes the same thing. Put two people who both see power as the ultimate attainment and you have the setting for nearly every meeting in the business world. From here, only two things can happen. One party will cave, allowing the other to dominate, or neither party will cave, effectively precipitating resentment and rage in both. The former leads to a continuation of the cycle while the latter leads to war.
This book is extremely well-researched and exquisitely written, which is why I still give it three stars. But I warn you now to be aware of your true intentions. Buy this book if you don't care about anyone but yourself, and it pleases you to see another man crumble. Do not buy this book if you have even the slightest interest in saving yourself from years of unnecessary struggle. Remember that the wave does break both ways, and you do not know who you may become if you toss your ethics in the wastebasket. Needless to say, I was the timid one who was sick of being overlooked, but in the end, it was this book that I tossed into the wastebasket. Your call.
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