THE 48 LAWS OF POWER
Robert Greene spent years combing through three millennia of history to produce this striking guide to the mechanics of power. The lessons it distils are ones that figures like Queen Elizabeth I, Louis XIV, Kissinger and Machiavelli discovered through bitter experience. Some of the laws are immediately striking: say less than you think necessary, hide your true intentions, never make your superiors feel outshone. Others are more unsettling, and that tension is precisely what makes the book worth reading. Laid out in bold black and red typography, the pages have a visual confidence that matches the material. Each law is brought to life through the real stories of historical figures who either wielded power brilliantly or suffered badly at the hands of those who did. The writing never lectures; it observes, with a cool and occasionally chilling clarity. Short, pointed laws sit alongside longer fable-like passages and what Greene calls 'word sculptures', giving the whole thing a rhythm that pulls you through. It's not a comfortable read, and it's not meant to be. Whether you treat it as a practical manual or a study of human nature, it rewards attention.
- Author: Robert Greene
- Publisher: Profile Books
- Genre: Action & Adventure
- ISBN: 978-1861972781
- Pages: 480 pages