The 48 Laws of Power

Product Description
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention-grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers.

Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life.

Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.

Customer Reviews
48 Laws of Power By Stefan Antoni
5 stars. However, the layout is irritating compared to the book. The `secondary` body of text in the book is on the sides and in red which is much easier to access for a quick read.

very good By Jay
Very interesting book, tons of behavioral psychology knowledge. if anyone is interested in buying this book forget what the others say. buy it.

Fantastic book By i knit in va (virginia)
Some of the laws are not charitable and are dictatorial, however it is an extremely interesting book! This book is a keeper! We bought several copies for friends and family. Great reference book.

I love this book By John
Awesome book! It's very interesting and I enjoy reading it everyday! All the stories in here are great and have excellent morales! If there's one book you should ever buy its this one!

Intriguing By Epic Reviews (New York City)
This book does not have to be construed as a means to cruel and heartless power any more than Sun Tzu's The Art of War should be viewed as such. Are some power tactics manipulative? Yes. Does getting to the top sometimes involve taking an opportunity away from someone else? Yes. Is power necessarily a bad thing? No. Often, yes. Though this is not necessarily the case. Greene outlines a number of the aspects of power, giving concrete and interesting examples from history.