Explains the theory of political survival, particularly in cases of dictators and despotic governments, arguing that political leaders seek to stay in power using any means necessary, most commonly by attending to the interests of certain coalitions.

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control – from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. In the book that People magazine proclaimed “beguiling” and “fascinating,” Robert Greene and Joost Elffers have distilled three thousand years of the history of power into 48 essential laws by drawing from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and also from the lives of figures ranging from Henry Kissinger to P.T. Barnum. Some laws teach the need for prudence (“Law 1: Never Outshine the Master”), others teach the value of confidence (“Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness”), and many recommend absolute self-preservation (“Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally”). Every law, though, has one thing in common: an interest in total domination. In a bold and arresting two-color package, The 48 Laws of Power is ideal whether your aim is conquest, self-defense, or simply to understand the rules of the game.

This book, first published in 1932, demonstrates how the control of certain ‘-isms’ has for long moulded the interpretation of Indian belief and ritual by Western writers particularly. In every chapter there is some new coordination, often iconoclastic of then-accepted theory, whilst the new wealth of customs carefully recorded is astonishing. Long disputed problems such as that of the Maratha ‘devak’, or that of the ceremonial sowing of seedlings known to Western scholars as the ‘gardens of Adonis’, have at last been settled through careful research.

Proximity to the monarch was a vital asset in the struggle for power and influence in medieval and early modern courts. The concept of ‘access to the ruler’ has therefore grown into a dominant theme in scholarship on pre-modern dynasties. Still, many questions remain concerning the mechanisms of access and their impact on politics. Bringing together new research on European and Asian cases, the ten chapters in this volume focus on the ways in which ‘access’ was articulated, regulated, negotiated, and performed. By taking into account the full complexity of hierarchies, ceremonial rites, spaces and artefacts that characterized the dynastic court, The Key to Power? forces us to rethink power relations in the late medieval and early modern world. Contributors are: Christina Antenhofer, Ronald G. Asch, Florence Berland, Mark Hengerer, Neil Murphy, Fabian Persson, Jonathan Spangler, Michael Talbot, Steven Thiry, and Audrey Truschke.

Together, the four keys of power give the ruler of Grenda Lear absolute authority. But on her deathbed Queen Usharna divides the keys, and thus the power that augments the throne, among her four children.

As part of the preparation for 2012--when the universe will present vast changes for humanity--this examination communicates the knowledge of wise ancients. There are 48 keys and two cosmic keys that open up the various energies of the universe. The information in this book will enable readers to expand their consciousness by using these keys to unlock the secrets of other realms, such as the animal and natural kingdoms, the elementals, different archangels and other angelic beings, cosmic masters, and wisdom centers. An exploration of spiritual laws, this is a fascinating and important look at energies that manifest as sound resonances and what humanity can do to access them.