48 Laws of Power. Robert Greene. 2000.

THE BESTSELLING BOOK FOR THOSE WHO WANT POWER, WATCH POWER, OR WANT TO ARM THEMSELVES AGAINST POWER...

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distils three thousand years of the history of power into 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, synthesising the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws require prudence (Law 1:Never Outshine the Master), some stealth (Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions), and some the total absence of mercy (Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally), but like it or not, all have applications in real-life situations. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissenger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded - or been victimised by - power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing or defending against ultimate control.