Author Guide · Strategy, Power & Psychology
Books Written by
Before he published a book, Robert Greene, born in Los Angeles in 1959, reckons he had worked about fifty jobs: construction worker, translator, magazine editor, Hollywood writer. In 1995, writing at Fabrica, an art and media school in Italy, he met the book packager Joost Elffers and pitched him an idea about power. The result, The 48 Laws of Power (1998), has sold more than 1.2 million copies in the United States, been translated into 24 languages, and been banned in a number of American prisons. Every book since has used the same method: a single human drive, set out as laws or strategies and illustrated with stories from three thousand years of history. This guide covers his seven key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 7 key books · 1998–2021 · Updated October 2026
ClickTap a spine to jump to that book below.
Quick answer
Robert Greene has published seven books, from The 48 Laws of Power (1998) to The Art of Seduction (2001), The 33 Strategies of War (2006), Mastery (2012) and The Laws of Human Nature (2018); an eighth, The Law of the Sublime, is due in November 2026. Start with The 48 Laws of Power, the book that shaped everything after it; read on for what each book covers and why some of them are banned in prisons.
Where to Start with Robert Greene
If you want the book that made his name
→ The 48 Laws of Power (1998) — 48 laws, each with a historical case of someone who kept it and someone who broke it.
If you want to get good at your work
→ Mastery (2012) — how people from Darwin to Temple Grandin became masters of a field.
If you want to understand other people
→ The Laws of Human Nature (2018) — eighteen chapters on traits such as envy, narcissism and grandiosity.
If you want one short passage a day
→ The Daily Laws (2021).
7 Robert Greene Books, in Order
The 48 Laws of Power
Forty-eight rules for gaining and holding power, such as “Never outshine the master” and “Crush your enemy totally”, each illustrated with historical examples of people who observed the law and people who broke it, from Cleopatra to the Rothschilds and the Empress Wu. Produced with Joost Elffers and published by Viking, it became a New York Times bestseller, has sold more than 1.2 million copies in the US and has been banned by several American prisons.
The Art of Seduction
Greene’s second book treats seduction as a form of power. It describes nine types of seducer, among them the Siren, the Rake, the Coquette and the Star, plus the Anti-Seducer, eighteen types of victim and 24 techniques, all drawn from historical and literary examples. It has sold more than 500,000 copies.
The 33 Strategies of War
Offensive and defensive strategies from military history, applied to everyday conflicts such as family quarrels and business negotiations. Reviewers were divided: the leadership writer John Adair said Greene “shows a poor grasp of the subject”. It has sold more than 200,000 copies and, like The 48 Laws, has been banned by several US prisons.
The 50th Law
Written with the rapper 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), it draws a philosophy of fearlessness from Jackson’s early life on the streets of Queens and his rise in the music business, set beside historical figures. It entered The New York Times bestseller list at number five.
Mastery
How people become masters of a field, from finding a calling through apprenticeship and mentors to the creative phase that follows. Greene uses historical figures such as Charles Darwin, Mozart, Albert Einstein and Henry Ford alongside living people he interviewed, including Temple Grandin, the boxing trainer Freddie Roach and the programmer and investor Paul Graham. It reached number six on The New York Times bestseller list.
The Laws of Human Nature
Eighteen chapters, each a “law” of human behaviour, from irrationality and narcissism to envy, grandiosity, conformity and the denial of death, each built around a historical portrait. Weeks before it came out in October 2018, Greene had what he called “a serious stroke”, which left his left arm and leg barely usable for a time.
The Daily Laws
A page for every day of the year, including a leap day, drawn from the themes of his five main books: power, seduction, strategy, mastery and human nature. It was published in October 2021.
In What Order to Read Robert Greene
Greene’s books do not build on each other, so you can read by subject. Publication order still shows a shift: the first three books (power, seduction, war) are about handling other people, while Mastery and The Laws of Human Nature turn towards understanding yourself.
The 50th Law is a side project with 50 Cent, and The Daily Laws is a selection from the earlier books, so both work better after you have read at least one of the main ones. His next book, The Law of the Sublime, is due from Viking on 10 November 2026.
A reading path
1. The 48 Laws of Power (1998)
2. Mastery (2012)
3. The Laws of Human Nature (2018)
4. The 33 Strategies of War (2006)
5. The Art of Seduction (2001)
Forthcoming from Robert Greene
Beyond the 7 key books: 1 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Announced
1
1 book · 2026
- 2026The Law of the Sublimedue from Viking on 10 November 2026; on reconnecting with a sense of awe, with practical exercises
The years · 1959–2018
Quick facts about Robert Greene
- Known for
- Writing long, history-based guides to power, seduction, strategy and self-mastery that have found readers from Hollywood and the music industry to prison libraries
- 1959
- Born in Los Angeles
- 1995
- Meets Joost Elffers at Fabrica, Italy
- 2012
- Mastery
- 2018
- A stroke weeks before The Laws of Human Nature
- Born
- 14 May 1959, Los Angeles, California
- Education
- University of California, Berkeley; B.A. in classical studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Before writing
- About fifty jobs, including construction worker, translator, Hollywood writer and editor at Esquire
- First book
- The 48 Laws of Power (1998), produced with the book packager Joost Elffers
- Sales
- More than 1.2 million US copies of The 48 Laws of Power; translated into 24 languages
- Health
- A serious stroke in 2018, weeks before The Laws of Human Nature came out
The red mark is 1998: The 48 Laws of Power, the book that set the method for everything after it.
How Robert Greene Writes: Laws Drawn from History
Greene studied classics, and his books read like it. Each starts from one human drive, breaks it into numbered laws or strategies, and argues every point through stories: in The 48 Laws of Power each law has a case of someone who observed it and someone who broke it, taken from courts, wars, banks and boardrooms across three thousand years.
He presents power as amoral, neither good nor evil, and writes as an observer rather than a moralist. That is the source of both the appeal and the criticism. Kirkus called The 48 Laws “simply nonsense”, and the Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer said its laws rest on isolated examples rather than research. Greene answers that only “maybe four or five laws” are overtly manipulative, and told the Los Angeles Times that he practises about half of them, though not “Crush your enemy totally”.
From Mastery onwards his method widened: alongside historical figures he interviewed living people, such as Temple Grandin and Freddie Roach, and the subject turned inward, to apprenticeship, character and self-knowledge. The Laws of Human Nature applies the same historical portraits to traits most readers recognise in themselves, such as envy, narcissism and the fear of death.
Watch
Robert Greene in Conversation with Rick Rubin
Almost two hours with the music producer Rick Rubin on his podcast Tetragrammaton, posted in December 2023: two people who have spent their working lives studying how masters work, talking about craft, power and The 48 Laws of Power, the book musicians from 50 Cent to Jay-Z took up. From the official Tetragrammaton channel.
Frequently asked questions about Robert Greene’s books
Who is Robert Greene?
Robert Greene is an American author, born in Los Angeles on 14 May 1959, who writes books on power, strategy and human nature. He is best known for The 48 Laws of Power (1998) and has published seven books, including Mastery (2012) and The Laws of Human Nature (2018). Before writing he worked about fifty jobs, from construction worker to Hollywood writer.
Who wrote The 48 Laws of Power?
Robert Greene wrote The 48 Laws of Power, published by Viking in 1998. It was produced with the Dutch book packager Joost Elffers, whom Greene met in 1995 at Fabrica, an art and media school in Italy; Greene pitched him a book about power, and Elffers asked for the written treatment that became the book.
Are Robert Greene’s books banned in prisons?
Yes, in a number of US prisons. PEN America’s reporting on prison book bans lists The 48 Laws of Power among the most frequently banned titles, and The 33 Strategies of War has also been banned by several prisons. Authorities treat its advice on manipulation and gaining power as a security risk. Greene has called prison censorship “a form of control” and says only “maybe four or five” of the 48 laws are overtly manipulative.
How old is Robert Greene, and is he still alive?
Robert Greene is alive. He was born on 14 May 1959 in Los Angeles, so he turned 67 in 2026. In 2018, weeks before The Laws of Human Nature came out, he had a serious stroke caused by a blood clot in his neck and spent months in rehabilitation.
How many books has Robert Greene written?
Seven, from The 48 Laws of Power (1998) to The Daily Laws (2021); one of them, The 50th Law (2009), was written with 50 Cent. An eighth, The Law of the Sublime, is due from Viking on 10 November 2026.
What are Robert Greene’s books in order?
The 48 Laws of Power (1998), The Art of Seduction (2001), The 33 Strategies of War (2006), The 50th Law (2009), Mastery (2012), The Laws of Human Nature (2018) and The Daily Laws (2021). The Law of the Sublime follows in November 2026.
Which Robert Greene book should I read first?
Start with The 48 Laws of Power, the book that set out his method. The books are not a series, so there is no required reading order: if you care more about work and skill than power, start with Mastery; if you want to understand other people, start with The Laws of Human Nature.
What is Robert Greene’s most famous book?
The 48 Laws of Power (1998). It has sold more than 1.2 million copies in the United States, has been translated into 24 languages, and has been cited by musicians from Jay-Z to 50 Cent. In December 2024 Spotify ranked its audiobook sixth worldwide.
What is Mastery by Robert Greene about?
Mastery (2012) is about how people become masters of a field: finding a calling, serving an apprenticeship, learning from mentors and moving into original work. Greene draws on historical figures such as Darwin, Mozart and Einstein and on interviews with living people including Temple Grandin and Paul Graham.
Is Robert Greene a psychologist?
No. Robert Greene studied classical studies, at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he took his B.A. His books on power and human nature draw on history, biography and psychology, but he is a writer, not a trained psychologist.
Is Robert Greene related to John Green or Hank Green?
No. Robert Greene, spelled with a final “e”, has no known family connection to the novelist John Green or his brother Hank Green, the YouTube creators behind Vlogbrothers. The similar surnames are a coincidence.
Is this the Robert Greene who wrote about Shakespeare?
No. That was Robert Greene (1558–1592), an Elizabethan playwright and pamphleteer. Greene’s Groats-Worth of Wit (1592), published under his name after his death, mocks an “upstart Crow”, usually read as the first reference to Shakespeare as a playwright. The modern author was born in 1959.
What is Robert Greene’s new book?
The Law of the Sublime, due from Viking on 10 November 2026: a guide to moving beyond everyday limits and reconnecting with a sense of awe, drawing on science, history and the arts, with practical exercises.
Footnotes
- Robert Greene (American author) — Wikipedia
- The 48 Laws of Power — Wikipedia
- Mastery (book) — Wikipedia
- The 33 Strategies of War — Wikipedia
- What are the most banned books in US prisons? — Euronews, 2023
- Greene’s Groats-Worth of Wit — Wikipedia
- The Law of the Sublime — Penguin Random House
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
If a book has a note, I’ve read it,
and the words are mine,
and if it has a stamp, it’s a book I recommend to you personally.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“The feeling of having no power over people and events is generally unbearable to us—when we feel helpless we feel miserable.”
— Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power (1998), preface
If this shelf interested you, the full bookshelf has more: reading lists by theme, author guides, and notes on what is actually worth your time.
Browse the full bookshelf Get book recommendations