Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws. This bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other infamous strategists. The 48 Laws of Power will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.