Summary: Robert Greene is an American author and speaker known for his books on strategy, power and seduction. He has written four international bestsellers: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, and The 50th Law (with rapper 50 Cent). Early life Greene grew up in Los Angeles and attended University of California, Berkeley before finishing his degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in classical studies. Before becoming an author, Greene estimates that he worked 80 jobs, including as a construction worker, translator, magazine editor, and Hollywood movie writer. In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school in Italy, and met a book packager named Joost Elffers. Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and wrote a treatment which eventually became The 48 Laws of Power. He would note this as the turning point of his life. Books The 48 Laws of Power Greene's first book, The 48 Laws of Power, is a practical guide for anyone who wants power, observes power, or wants to arm himself against power. The laws are a distillation of 3,000 years in the history of power, drawing on the lives of strategists and historical figures like Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, and P.T. Barnum. Each law has its own chapter, complete with a "transgression of the law," "observation of the law," and a "reversal." The 48 Laws of Power was an international bestseller and has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States alone. It is popular with well-known rappers, entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletesand actors including 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, DJ Premier, Dov Charney, Brian Grazer, Andrew Bynum, Chris Bosh, and Will Smith. The Art of Seduction Greene's second book, The Art of Seduction, was published in 2004 and is a handbook on the most subtle and effective form of power, seduction. The book profiles the nine types of seducers (e.g. The Rake, The Siren, and The Charmer) and details aspects of attraction, authenticity, storytelling and negotiation. Greene uses examples from historical figures such as Cleopatra,Giacomo Casanova, Duke Ellington and John F. Kennedy to support the psychology behind seduction. The Art of Seduction is mentioned in Neil Strauss' book The Game as a recommended book in the seduction community. It has sold more than 500,000 copies. The 33 Strategies of War The 33 Strategies of War is the third book by Greene and was published in 2007. The book is divided into five parts: Self-Directed Warfare, Organizational (Team) Warfare, Defensive Warfare, Offensive Warfare and Unconventional (Dirty) Warfare. The book is a guide to the campaign of everyday life and distills military wisdom from historical figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Sun Tzu,Alfred Hitchcock, Alexander the Great and Margaret Thatcher. The Sunday Times called the book "an excellent toolkit for dealing with business and relationships," and The Independent called Greene "a modern-day Machiavelli." NBA player Chris Boshstated that his favorite book is The 33 Strategies of War. It has sold more than 200,000 copies. The 50th Law The 50th Law is the fourth book by Greene—written collaboratively with rapper 50 Cent—and was published in 2009. The book illustrates universal laws about strategy and fearlessness by supplementing anecdotes from 50 Cent's rise as both a young urban hustler and as an up-and-coming musician with lessons from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Socrates,Malcolm X, Miles Davis, François de La Rochefoucauld, Machiavelli, Richard Wright, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Charlie Parker, and the Baron de Montesquieu. Each of the 10 chapters in the book explains a factor of fearlessness and begins by telling how 50 learned this "Fearless Philosophy" in Southside Queens. The book debuted at #5 on The N[...]
