The Concise Art of Seduction

by Robert Greene

The companion book to the bestselling Concise 48 Laws of Power, which has now sold over 125,000 copies in the UK. Amoral, ruthless, clever and cunning, this is the essential guide to the art of seduction.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Philosophy, Personal Development, Education, Love

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

Best-selling author and public speaker, Robert Greene was born in Los Angeles. He attended U.C. California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He has worked in New York as an editor and writer at several magazines, including Esquire; and in Hollywood as a story developer and writer.

Robert has lived in London, Paris, and Barcelona; he speaks several languages and has worked as a translator. In 1995 he was involved in the planning and creation of the art school Fabrica, outside Venice, Italy. There he met Joost Elffers, the New York book packager and discussed with him his idea for a book on power and manipulation, the ultimate modern version of Machiavelli's The Prince.

Robert and Joost became partners and in 1998, The 48 Laws of Power was born. The book has been a national and international bestseller, and has been translated into 17 languages. In 2001, Robert released his second book, The Art of Seduction, which is more than a sequel to The 48 Laws; it is both a handbook on how to wield the ultimate form of power, and a detailed look at the greatest seducers in history.

The third in this highly anticipated series of books, The 33 Strategies of War, hit bookstores January 2006 and offers a strategic look behind the movements of War in application to everyday life. In addition to having a strong following within the business world and a deep following in Washington, DC, these books are also being hailed by everyone from war historians to some of the heaviest hitters in the rap world (including Jay-Z and 50 Cent).

The popularity of these books along with their vast and fiercely loyal audience proves these are profound, timeless lessons from historical leaders that still ring true in today's culture. Robert currently lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Shahad Al Melhem · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a short guide on how to be the following:
1. Fake
2. Liar
3. Backstabber
4. Stalker
5. Psychopath
6. Manipulative

[Paul Lindholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading The Art of Seduction because I was a huge fan of Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power. I enjoy his style and how he fits in scenarios of other people the scenario has applied to in history. I am not giving this book 4 stars because it is bad by any means, but compared to his other book it is missing much of the depth through stories that his previous book contained (don’t know if this is just because of the concise edition). I will discuss through this review the way it was set up, the content that it contained and the overall rating. I will discuss the pros and cons below and summarize my rating on a scale of 10.

Pros:

Fantastic verbiage and use of imagery through symbols. Great Layout stating the different characters each of us plays. The first portion discusses the different characters whereas the second portion discusses different methods for seducing people. There are many quotes and historical excerpts that help to gain a better understanding of the text. Throughout the book I would underline different phrases that I would like to apply to my life. I burned through this book so quickly and wish I bought the full book at the end.

Cons:

I didn’t know how I should apply these concepts. Yes, I understand that it is geared towards getting some women to fall for you, but many of these concepts could and should be applied to your careers more so than landing the cute women at the bar. The book was dark, but that’s what keeps me coming back for more of Robert Greene’s books. I had a hard time retaining much of the information because most of it was extremely theoretical, and I think I will have a much harder time applying this to my life unless I focus chapter by chapter. Also some of the quotes and historical excerpts were very advanced and left me confused often times. I often felt confused whether he was talking to me as being a seducer or simply talking about a seducer in general.

Overall I will give this book an 8/10 and I highly recommend giving it a try if you are a fan of Robert Greene’s books. I will certainly be referring to this book in the future if I ever need guidance in trying to seduce someone. You can use this book for good or for bad, like anything in life it is all on how you take action.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5
If you are a western white man and believe that there are only two genders, then is this the book for you.

Honestly, this book is The Laws of Power but just rewrapped so all of the stories concern sex or romance. Like his other book, it really started to drag and sound repetitive about halfway through. Also like his other book, it was written from a starkly obvious Western male perspective. I think Robert Greene can benefit from taking a Women & Gender Studies class since he claims to be such an expert on the female mind.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

ale gowno

[Heather myfriendsdontread · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was even more interesting than I thought it would be.

I loved learning about historical figures like Marylin Monroe, Cleopatra, John F Kennedy, and Andy Warhol and how they seduced masses of people, made people become obsessed with them, and subtly coaxed people into doing what they wanted.

It also was very insightful about politics and human nature. It’ll make you understand how friends, exes, coworkers, celebrities, and politicians have manipulated you.

I’d really like the read the full version now, I just wanted to know what I’d be getting into first before I committed to a 20+ hour audiobook.

[Kitty Sad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the insights in this book and being able to categorise which type of “seducer” we are. It’s nice to get to know yourself better and improve. However I’m not a big fan of purposely manipulating people into liking me, using that for my own benefit and referring to those people as my “victims”. It would’ve been much nicer to find out ways to seduce people without having to manipulate them imo

[Duncan Akyeampong · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? Really good book 📖. It helped me understand that seduction is a power that we all have, and it can lead to good or bad things, but we should never be afraid of what we desire the most.

[Yahia Maged · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very boring book, asking the people to be fake and to build a weird character with no feelings or thoughts and to deal with people "victims" with coldness and harshness and to fake everything for the sake of getting the one you like, with a high chance that everything will fade one day and you have to break with them with no closure to keep them wondering all there life about what happened.
Absolutely non sense!

[UTO · Rating 3 out of 5]

واقعا نمی‌دونم چرا رابرت گرین به خودش زحمت داده این کتاب نوشته؟! کاملا مشابه کتاب 48 قانون قدرتش هست و اگر کسی بخواد در حق خودش و وقتش لطف کنه می‌تونه به اون کفایت کنه. چون نسخه کامل تری هست و قوانین فقط تو این کتاب تکرار شده خلاصه شده همون کتاب هست.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had heard of the Machiavellian Robert Greene through his 48 Laws of Power and 50 Cent collaborations so when seeing this concise edition was the shortest of his works included within an Audible trial I gave it a go. He talks of schmoozing his “victims” with charm and is a big fan of Errol Flynn and archetypes such as the siren and the dandy. I am glad this was the concise edition as the use of more examples would have been tiresome. I may well try his concise Strategies of War audiobook before the trial ends but even that edition is ten hours and twice as long as this one.

[Karan joshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Art of Seduction" by Robert Greene is a captivating exploration of the timeless strategies and psychology behind seduction.

Greene delves into the nuances of seduction through historical anecdotes, psychological insights, and practical advice.

The book categorizes seduction into different archetypes, from the Siren to the Rake, illustrating each with vivid examples from history and literature.

While controversial in its approach, Greene's work challenges readers to understand the power dynamics inherent in human interactions.

It's a thought-provoking read for anyone interested in social dynamics and the intricacies of persuasion."

[greencuup · Rating 3 out of 5]

A więc tak
Świetnie się czytało, bo Greene świetnie pisze. Można się uczepić mocno "samiec alfa" określeń("ofiara", a nawet "zwierzyna"), ale w gruncie rzeczy nie są aż tak rażące podczas lektury. Z czasem, jak przyzwyczajałam się do tego stylu opwiadania, przestało mi to uwierać.
Cytaty. Cytaty to absolutnie cudowna część tej książki, zainspirowały mnie do zainteresowania się wieloma utworami i co ważniejsze osobistościami (Ninon de l'Enclos < 3333). Bez cytatów wrażenia z czytania byłyby nieporównywalnie mniej ciekawe(przynajmniej według mnie).
Jest coś, co mnie o dziwo bardzo zaskoczyło-tytuł, a bardziej fakt, że podchodzimy do niego dosłownie. Nie wiem dlaczego, ale od początku założyłam, że uwodzenie będzie swego rodzaju symbolem wpływania i manipulacji ludźmi, a nie faktycznym uwodzeniem w rozumieniu romantycznym czy erotycznym.
Ale czy to mi przeszkadzało? W gruncie rzeczy to nie
Jedyne co, to mnie to nieco zmieszało, ponieważ ku końcowi nacisk jest coraz bardziej kładziony erotyzm(całkiem logiczne).
Ale znowu, czy to źle?

Także w ogólnym rozrachunku stwierdzam, że to naprawdę przyjemna lektura(cytaty >>>>>). Podczas czytania nastawiałam się raczej na stabilne trzy gwiazdki, ale jak skończyłam stwierdzam, że jednak zostanę przy czterech(ostatecznie vibe idzie naprawdę spoko i czyta się po prostu dobrze)
dobra edit trzy dni później: jednak 3 gwiazdki

[Anastasia Arlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book, a classic non fiction by Robert Greene.
Reading this gave a very clear insight on the human mind and made me realise that as much as we humans try to deny this, we are manipulative in nature. The book starts off by introducing the types of manipulators in terms of seduction and suggest that every person can be placed into at least one of the categories, although obviously they might not be 1000000% accurate which isn’t the point of it anyway.

I’ve seen many people complain about Robert Greene’s approach to these topics in his books, as they have a manipulative air to them. This however is often almost unavoidable if pursuing the results of the book. The book DOES teach you how to seduce.. does it ever claim to do this ethically? No. Manipulation, something humans indulge in even subconsciously, is not necessarily ethical. Trying to convince someone they are infatuated with you is manipulation. Why do you expect it to be ethical?

Besides, the sinister air kind of adds to the reading experience. I am not upset about it.

Edit: what was I even saying…not a fan anymore

[Baniakov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Szczerze, to nie spodziewałem się, że to mnie tak pochłonie.
Greene robi coś co uwielbiam - jednocześnie mam wewnętrzna sprzeczność z poglądami autora i dogłębnie się z nim zgadzam.
Chyba mogę polecić. Czekam z niecierpliwością na Prawą Ludzkiej Natury.

[Dan Cristino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I BET YOU, IT WORKS!!!

[Sassyaqua · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry but wtf what was that… if you want to know how to be toxic you can read it. It also homophonic, misogynistic. I am sad that the author can’t see a relationship without manipulation. Bye

[Patrycja · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,8 ⭐

Uważam, że to najsłabsza z książek autora, które czytałam do tej pory. O ile przyzwyczaiłam się już do jego specyficznego, makiawelistycznego stylu pisania i drugoosobowej narracji, o tyle myślałam, że treść bardziej mnie "uwiedzie". Nie jest to zła pozycja (jeśli to pierwsze zetknięcie z autorem to ma szansę się spodobać), natomiast, biorąc pod uwagę poprzednie spotkania z Greene'em, to spodziewałam się tutaj czegoś bardziej odkrywczego. Momentami miałam wrażenie, że czytam coś już kolejny raz, a to co było względnie nowe nie było dla mnie zaskakujące. Autor często opisywał już znajome zjawiska, które po prostu odpowiednio nazwał – samo to może być dla kogoś odkrywcze, natomiast dla czytelnika zaznajomionego z innymi książkami autora, to pewnie w większości nie będzie nic nowego. Jeśli jednak ktoś miał w swoim otoczeniu przykład całkiem wprawionego manipulatora - to tutaj wymienione techniki mogą poszerzyć perspektywę / otworzyć oczy na różne zawiłości międzyludzkie.

Dla niezaznajomionych z Robertem Greene'em – styl autora jest dosyć specyficzny i nie każdemu będzie odpowiadał, natomiast, wydaje mi się, że warto się na niego nastawić przed zaczęciem którejkolwiek z jego książek, żeby po kilku stronach się nie zniechęcić. Autor korzysta z narracji drugoosobowej, zatem opisywane techniki manipulacyjne kieruje do odbiorcy (tak jakby chciał nauczyć go, jak je stosować). Nie każdemu spodoba się taka forma, bo brzmi dosyć mało moralnie i (przynajmniej dla mnie) bywa niewygodna w odbiorze. Ja czytałam tę książkę z perspektywy tego jak wykrywać takie techniki, gdy ktoś chciałby stosować je w moim otoczeniu – takie nastawienie zdecydowanie zmieniło moje podejście do stylu autora (złagodziło mi odbiór tych treści). Domyślam się jednak, że nie każdy będzie chciał czytać taką formę przekazu wiedzy.

Na plus powoływanie się na istniejące w kulturze teksty (powieści, wiersze, eseje itd.) autorów z różnych okresów historycznych, które dodatkowo ilustrowały omawianą w danym rozdziale technikę. Autor często stosuje tego rodzaju wstawki w swoich tekstach, co dla mnie osobiście powoduje, że opracowanie jest bardziej wartościowe. Na końcu książki mamy również zbiór tekstów literackich, na których bazował autor – dla osób, które chciałyby głębiej pogrzebać w temacie.

Nie odradzam tej książki, ale też nie polecam od niej zaczynać przygody z Robertem Greene'em. Jeśli ktoś miałby sięgnąć po tylko jedną pozycję tego autora to skusiłabym się raczej na "Prawa ludzkiej natury", bo choć (zdecydowanie bardziej) obszerne, to dużo bardziej treściwe i ciekawsze w odbiorze.

Btw. co do wydania z Wydawnictwa Czarna Owca - złote napisy na brzegach okładki dosyć szybko i nieestetycznie się ścierają. Uprzedzam te osoby, które chciałyby kupić książkę w papierze, że mimo ładnego, minimalistycznego wydania to nie pozostaje one takie na długo, bo już po pierwszym czytaniu brzegi wyglądają jakby książka była czytana z solidne kilkanaście razy.

[Alise Bogdanova]

grāmata rakstīta vīriešiem, bet, domāju, sievietei tādējādi diezgan efektīvi vairo izpratni par manipulāciju, tostarp emocionālu varmācību "dinamikas uzturēšanas vārdā".

ja pirmā puse šķita aizraujoša, sajūta tāda no sērijas "dejoju ar velnu, hihi" , tad otrā puse vienkārši šķebināja. "objekts, upuris" un tās metodes..

protams, daudz tur ir arī par dabisko pavedināšanas spēku, kas piemīt mums visiem, forši atrast, apzināt savus mehānismus. bet nuuu. jāatzīst, fakts, ka kāds tiešām pavedinātu tā soli pa solim, lika man sajusties visai nekomfortabli. šī varētu būt viena reize, kad priecāties, ka vīrieši nelasa.

aizverot grāmatu skaļi noteicu "jopcik" un nobāzu от греха по дальше.

[Sofia Chudzik Bauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Da mesma forma que ele tem algumas dicas interessantes (não apenas para sedução amorosa e sexual), ele foca num curto prazo e tende para a manipulação, mentira, falsidade e exagero.
Você até vai conseguir usar as táticas pra seduzir mas ele não vai trazer nada de significativo e longo, só vai ensinar você a alimentar seu ego.
Se você não quer nada sério com ninguém, é bom, caso queira que sua sedução vire algo mais, esse livro vai ser péssimo.
Mas odeio coisas que pendem pra manipulação e mentira, então não gostei tanto assim.

[Sophie Ruiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got the concise one because the original was far too long and had an unnecessarily extortionate amount of examples which bored the life out of me. This one was better, the first half being fantastic and very interesting, but the second half was not what I expected and was actually quite uninteresting and simply made up of basic common sense and a few loosely mentioned psychological ‘tips’ which couldn’t even really be classed as that.

[Dins Steimanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The types of seducers were interesting and quite clear among many people I know. The suggestions and tactics were good but some quite useless, they were quite well explained and phrased and it was clear how some of them may have the intended effect, yet many seem quite useless as they cannot be mixed together often, so you would likely have to risk using just 1/2 but getting them in the right order at the right time based on the person, as each person would respond very differently

[Iguana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idealny poradnik na to jak być toksycznym mężczyzna. Rady, które są tam zawarte nie doprowadza do niczego. Jeszcze sposób w jaki autor określa płeć przeciwną. Ofiara? My nie żyjemy w krainie zwierząt lecz w zwykłym społeczeństwie.

[Lavanya Shankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about manipulation.
So, Read this book if
1. You want to be fake and super manipulative.
2. You want to identify the fake and manipulative people around you who maybe trying to turn you into their “victims” or “puppets”

3 stars because it gets a bit repetitive.

[sincerely.leoni࿚ˋ°•*⁀➷ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like self-centered manipulation.
The first part with the different kind of seduction characters was interesting but the second part about the process was narcissistic love bombing, talking about 'target' and 'victims' in a nearly dehumanising way.

[Drusia · Rating 4 out of 5]

real rating: 4,5 ⭐️

[Iciar Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Todo vale en el amor y en la guerra

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Machiavelli updated and much more specifically detailed. Very informative. Calculated. Eye opening. Not for the feint of heart. It’s cold outside where I live but not nearly as chilly as this book. It’s a learning though. I say put on a sweater and go forth

[zuzina · Rating 2 out of 5]

przeczytałam przez tiktoka, ale jakoś nie przypadło mi to do gustu ostatecznie - warto przeczytać, żeby poznać osobowości ludzkie, ale nie jest to obowiązkowa lektura

[Åshild R · Rating 2 out of 5]

ingenting nytt eller banebrytende. måtte slite meg gjennom boka. samme om igjen med ulike ord og lite innhold. Anbefaler ikke

[laribauu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un buen libro, pero que no me gustaría que cayera en malas manos…

Está bien escrito, y si lo lees con distancia puedes aprender alguna cosa útil. Sin embargo, básicamente enseña al lector un uso de la manipulación sin reparos, y me parece que no sería un libro que recomendaría ampliamente a cualquiera.

También es cierto que puede ser útil para no caer en manipulaciones ajenas.