Robert Greene, the #1 New York Times bestselling
author of The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of
War, The Art of Seduction, Mastery, and The
Laws of Human Nature, is an internationally renowned expert on
power strategies. He lives in Los Angeles.
Joost Elffers is the packaging genius behind Viking Studio's
Secret Language series, Play with Your Food, and How Are You
Peeling?. He lives in New York City.
“Machiavelli has a new rival. And Sun Tzu had better watch his
back. Greene . . . has put together a checklist of ambitious
behavior. Just reading the table of contents is enough to stir a
little corner-office lust.”—New York magazine
“Beguiling . . . literate . . . fascinating. A wry primer for
people who desperately want to be on top.”—People magazine
“An heir to Machiavelli’s Prince . . . gentler souls will find this
book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to
power will have a perfect vade mecum.” —Publishers Weekly
“Satisfyingly dense and . . . literary, with fantastic examples of
genius power-game players. It’s The Rules meets In Pursuit of Wow!
with a degree in comparative literature.”—Allure
"Machiavelli has a new rival. And Sun Tzu had better watch his
back. Greene . . . has put together a checklist of ambitious
behavior. Just reading the table of contents is enough to stir a
little corner-office lust."-New York magazine
"Beguiling . . . literate . . . fascinating. A wry primer for
people who desperately want to be on top."-People
magazine
"An heir to Machiavelli's Prince . . . gentler souls will
find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented
solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum." -Publishers
Weekly
"Satisfyingly dense and . . . literary, with fantastic examples of
genius power-game players. It's The Rules meets In
Pursuit of Wow! with a degree in comparative
literature."-Allure
Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli's Prince, espousing principles such as, everyone wants more power; emotions, including love, are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life's paramount tools. Anyone striving for psychological health will be put off at the start, but the authors counter, saying "honesty is indeed a power strategy," and "genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power." Amoral or immoral, this compendium aims to guide those who embrace power as a ruthless game, and will entertain the rest. Elffers's layout (he is identified as the co-conceiver and designer in the press release) is stylish, with short epigrams set in red at the margins. Each law, with such allusive titles as "Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy," "Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit," "Conceal Your Intentions," is demonstrated in four ways‘using it correctly, failing to use it, key aspects of the law and when not to use it. Illustrations are drawn from the courts of modern and ancient Europe, Africa and Asia, and devious strategies culled from well-known personae: Machiavelli, Talleyrand, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and various con artists of our century. These historical escapades make enjoyable reading, yet by the book's conclusion, some protagonists have appeared too many times and seem drained. Although gentler souls will find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum. BOMC and Money Book Club alternates. Author tour. (Sept.)
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