The 48 Laws of Power

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The 48 Laws of Power
GreeneRobert-48LawsOfPower.jpg
AuthorRobert Greene
CountryUnited States
SubjectSelf-help
Published1998 (Viking Press) (HC); 2007 (HighBridge Audio) CD
Pages480
ISBN0-670-88146-5 (HC); 978-1-59887-092-3 (CD)
OCLC39733201
303.3 21
LC ClassBD438 .G74 1998
Followed byThe Art of Seduction 

The 48 Laws of Power (1998) is a non-fiction book by American author Robert Greene.[1] The book is a bestseller,[2][3] selling over 1.2 million copies in the United States,[4] and is popular with prison inmates and celebrities.[4][5][6][7][8]

The 48 Laws of Power is popular with well-known rappers, entrepreneurs, celebrities, athletes and actors including 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, DJ Premier, Drake, Dov Charney, Brian Grazer, Andrew Bynum, Chris Bosh, Michael Jackson,[9] Courtney Love[10] and Will Smith.[4][6][11][5][7]

Background[]

Greene initially formulated some of the ideas in The 48 Laws of Power while working as a writer in Hollywood and concluding that today's power elite shared similar traits with powerful figures throughout history.[5] In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school, and met a book packager named Joost Elffers.[4][8] Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and six months later, Elffers requested that Greene write a treatment.[4]

Although Greene was unhappy in his current job, he was comfortable and saw the time needed to write a proper book proposal as too risky.[12] However, at the time Greene was rereading his favorite biography about Julius Caesar and took inspiration from Caesar's decision to cross the Rubicon River and fight Pompey, thus inciting the Great Roman Civil War.[12] Greene wrote the treatment, which later became The 48 Laws of Power.[12] He would note this as the turning point of his life.[12]

Reception[]

The 48 Laws of Power has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States and has been translated into 24 languages.[4] Fast Company called the book a "mega cult classic", and The Los Angeles Times noted that The 48 Laws of Power turned Greene into a "cult hero with the hip-hop set, Hollywood elite and prison inmates alike".[4][13]

The 48 Laws of Power has been reported to be much requested in American prison libraries,[5][14] and has been studied as a first-year text in some US colleges.[15][16] Rapper 50 Cent stated that he related to the book "immediately", and approached Greene with the prospect of a potential collaboration, which would later become The 50th Law, another New York Times bestseller.[17] Busta Rhymes and Derrius Jackson used The 48 Laws of Power to deal with problematic movie producers.[8] DJ Premier has a tattoo inspired from Law #5, "Reputation is the cornerstone of power", on his arm[6] and DJ Calvin Harris has an "Enter with boldness" arm tattoo based on Law #28.[18] The 48 Laws of Power has also been mentioned in songs by UGK, Jay Z, Kanye West, and Drake.[6][19][20] [21] Dov Charney, founder and former CEO of American Apparel, frequently quoted the laws during board meetings, has given friends and employees copies of the book, and appointed Greene to the board of American Apparel.[4] Former Cuban President Fidel Castro is also claimed by the book's author to have read the book.[4] The book has been banned by several US prisons.[22]

Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer said that Greene's so-called laws are based on isolated examples, and not on solid research.[5] Kirkus Reviews said Greene offers no evidence to support his world view, Greene's laws contradict each other, and the book is "simply nonsense".[23] Newsweek also points out ways the laws contradict each other and says "Intending the opposite, Greene has actually produced one of the best arguments since the New Testament for humility and obscurity."[24] Director magazine notes "some of Greene's 'laws' seem contradictory" and the work is "plodding and didactic".[25]

References[]

  1. ^ Greene, Robert (2000). The 48 Laws of Power. New York, NY. p. 452. ISBN 0140280197.
  2. ^ "Business Bestsellers". New York Times. November 8, 1998.
  3. ^ Green, Hardy. "Best Selling List". BusinessWeek.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Chang, Andrea. American Apparel's in-house guru shows a lighter side. LA Times. August 30, 2011.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Blake, John. How to Master the ‘48 Laws of Power’. CNN. March 15, 2010.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Lee, Chris (July 12, 2006). "Laws for an Outlaw Culture". LA Times.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Tice, Carol. All’s Fair?. Entrepreneur. November 1, 2006.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Paumgarten, Nick. Fresh Prince. New Yorker. November 6, 2006.
  9. ^ "Bonhams : Joseph Millighan Ambetsa : an annotated copy of the book 'The 48 Laws Of Power' by Robert Greene". www.bonhams.com. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Singer Love to face drugs trial". April 16, 2004. Retrieved February 24, 2018 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ^ Paumgarten, Nick (November 6, 2006). "FRESH PRINCE; Hip-hop's Machiavelli". The New Yorker.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Perlroth, Nicole. Robert Greene on Power Ambition Glory. Forbes. June 16, 2009.
  13. ^ Johnson, Lynn. The 50 Cent Bible. Fast Company. September 10, 2009.
  14. ^ Garner, Dwight. The Readers Behind Bars Put Books to Many Uses. The New York Times. October 19, 2010.
  15. ^ "48 Laws of Power Syllabus" (PDF). Millsaps College. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2011.
  16. ^ "The 48 Laws of Power Syllabus" (PDF). Ramapo College.
  17. ^ Burkeman, Oliver (September 4, 2009). "When the gangsta rapper met the self-help guru". The Guardian.
  18. ^ Harris, Randy. "calvin says: enter with boldness". FMLY. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  19. ^ "Kanye West – Primetime Lyrics". RapGenius.
  20. ^ UGK (August 7, 2007). Living This Life (music video).
  21. ^ "Drake – What I'm Thinkin' Right Now Lyrics". RapGenius.
  22. ^ Books Banned in U.S. Prisons Featured at Minneapolis Art Festival (video), Unicorn Riot Media, June 25, 2018
  23. ^ "THE 48 LAWS OF POWER". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  24. ^ Adler, Jerry (1998), The Prince Wants a Word With You, Newsweek, archived from the original on January 12, 2014, retrieved May 26, 2020CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ^ Kennedy, Carol (1999), The 48 Laws of Power By Robert Greene, Director Publications, retrieved January 12, 2014

External links[]

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