Mastery [Hardcover]

Robert Greene (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 13, 2012

The eagerly anticipated new book from the author of the bestselling The 48 Laws of Power

What did Charles Darwin, middling schoolboy and underachieving second son, do to become one of the earliest and greatest naturalists the world has known? What were the similar choices made by Mozart and by Caesar Rodriguez, the U.S. Air Force’s last ace fighter pilot? In Mastery, Robert Greene’s fifth book, he mines the biographies of great historical figures for clues about gaining control over our own lives and destinies. Picking up where The 48 Laws of Power left off, Greene culls years of research and original interviews to blend historical anecdote and psychological insight, distilling the universal ingredients of the world’s masters.

Temple Grandin, Martha Graham, Henry Ford, Buckminster Fuller—all have lessons to offer about how the love for doing one thing exceptionally well can lead to mastery. Yet the secret, Greene maintains, is already in our heads. Debunking long-held cultural myths, he demonstrates just how we, as humans, are hardwired for achievement and supremacy. Fans of Greene’s earlier work and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers will eagerly devour this canny and erudite explanation of just what it takes to be great.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Greene has a degree in classical studies and is the author of four previous, bestselling books, including The 48 Laws of Power and The 50th Law.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (November 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780670024964
• ISBN-13: 978-0670024964
• ASIN: 0670024961
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (168 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Social Psychology & Interactions
  • #31 in Books > Self-Help > Motivational
  • #34 in Books > Self-Help > Success

More About the Author

Robert Greene is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, and The 50th Law. His highly anticipated fifth book, Mastery, examines the lives of great historical figures such as Charles Darwin, Mozart, Paul Graham and Henry Ford and distills the traits and universal ingredients that made them masters. In addition to having a strong following within the business world and a deep following in Washington, DC, Greene's books are hailed by everyone from war historians to the biggest musicians in the industry (including Jay-Z and 50 Cent).

Greene attended U.C. Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#17 in Books > Self-Help

#29 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#42 in Books > Business & Investing

#54 in Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing

#61 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs

#17 in Books > Self-Help

#29 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting

#42 in Books > Business & Investing

#54 in Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing

#61 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

121 of 128 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Classic September 29, 2012

By Bradley Bevers TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

"Mastery - the feeling that we have a greater command of reality, other people, and ourselves."

"Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge."

Mastery is a book that will stand the test of time. Robert Greene writes to instruct others how to achieve mastery in any field, told through a series of mini-biographies, life lessons, timeless quotes, and a modern understanding of psychology and human nature. Mastery combines these different varieties of anecdotes and instructions simply and beautifully. It is a great read, and one that would have been relevant 500 years ago and will still be relevant 500 years from now. Few non-fiction books that are published today can claim such an accomplishment.

Greene identifies three levels of learning a subject. First there is apprenticeship, marked by intense learning. Secondly, the creative-active level, set apart by practice. The third and final phase is mastery. The first four chapters of the book focus on apprenticeship, followed by one chapter each for the final two phases.

The entire books is an excellent read, but here are some of the bright spots that stood out to me:

* The biographies are really, really good. The four that stood out to me tell the life story of Benjamin Franklin, Freddie Roach, Marcel Proust, and Temple Grandin. Good mix of contemporary and ancient biographies. Its worth reading Mastery just for the mini-biographies.

* Chapter four on social intelligence is excellent. Social intelligence is often overlooked as a step to mastering anything, but Greene highlights here and provides some great tips on dealing navigating the social landscape.

* The first chapter deals with finding your life's task. The last part focuses on strategies to identify your life's task, and there are some very helpful tips here.

* The layout of the book is great. You can open to any chapter and find useful information right away. It is a great read the first time through, and will remain a useful reference once you are finished.

A few things I didn't love:

* It reads like a timeless book. The principles it contains and the methods that Greene prescribes will always be useful. That said, at times it feels too dense - almost like you are reading an ancient Zen manuscript.

* Many of the biographies are continued and built on in subsequent chapters. The first few paragraphs of each are usually very similar, and I found myself skipping through them quickly. Will actually make it more useful when using as a reference in the future, but you will want to skip a few paragraphs if you are reading it straight through.

Mastery is an excellent book, and one that I can highly recommend to anyone. The focus on the apprenticeship model and how you can apply it in the modern world is unique and will only become more relevant in the future. Though Greene never denounces formal higher education, many of the examples he gives highlight alternative routes you can take. I will recommend this book to many, but will buy a few copies to give to high school juniors and seniors considering which education/career path to take.

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fans of Greene's work will be pleased October 5, 2012

By kelsie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

"Mastery" continues in the tradition of Greene's other work, especially The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies of War (Joost Elffers Books). Consider this book, if you will, as a synthesis and application of the principles in those three books: in the "48 Laws," Greene introduced a set of concepts loosely based on Gracian's "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" that assisted readers in determining how to gain and maintain control. In "Seduction," Greene taught readers the principles of gaining and maintaining status as a desire of others; and in the "33 Strategies," Greene shifted the ground beneath our feet from the boardroom and living room to the battlefield, describing how militaristic techniques and approaches could be used to achieve our goals and outcomes.

"Mastery" synthesizes much of this previous work into a larger framework, a longer-term project--a "bigger picture," so to speak. Greene defines "mastery" as the ultimate power: "[A] form of power and intelligence that represents the high point of human potential. It is the source of the greatest achievements and discoveries in history. It is an intelligence that is not taught in our schools nor analyzed by professors, but almost all of us,a t some point, have had glimpses of it in our own experience."

As with his previous works, Greene relies heavily on historical anecdotes to explain his six-step plan to the achievement of mastery:
1. Discover your calling: the life's task
2. Submit to reality: the ideal apprenticeship
3. Absorb the master's power: the mentor dynamic
4. See people as they are: social intelligence
5. Awaken the dimensional mind: the creative-active
6. Fuse the intuitive with the rational: mastery

For each of these steps, Greene includes a detailed explanation of what the step's goal is, relevant historical examples of the step in action, and the strategies for achieving the goal and moving to the next step. For example, in the first step (the life's task), Greene somewhat metaphysically argues that "You possess an inner force that seeks to guide you toward your Life's Task--what you are meant to accomplish in the time that you have to live." Determining what this task is is the goal of the first step. Greene then offers up Leonardo Da Vinci as an example of this search, and provides five strategies for "finding your life's task": returning to your origins, occupying the perfect niche, avoiding the false path, letting go of the past, and finding your way back. Each of these strategies is further accompanied by more historical anecdotes.

Whereas the "48 Laws," "33 Strategies," and "Seduction" had focused on somewhat tighter, more confined situations--and were presented in a rather fragmented, isolated manner that did not necessarily relate each rule or precept to the others--"Mastery" is a conscious attempt to bring together all this information and these principles into a single, directed course of action. This book, more than all the others, is Robert Greene's answer to the question of how to "win friends and influence people" (with emphasis on the latter).

A worthy addition to any library--especially those with well-thumbed copies of Greene's earlier books.

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Part Instruction/Part Inspiration - NOTHING like OUTLIERS October 17, 2012

By Elly Sparks VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I read Gladwell's "Outliers" and when I saw Mastery, I thought, didn't Gladwell already DO this book?
Kind of, but not really.
This book is totally different.
Gladwell's book is filled with examples.
Greene's book is an instructional inspiration, so to speak. Outliers didn't present a roadmap, which is what really differentiates the books.
It starts with examining your past and how to discover what you are meant to do -then steers you on a path towards following those who are where you want to be, how to work with them and make the most of the relationship - and one of my favorite parts is seeing people as they are (social intelligence).
It then delves into creativity and how to blend it with reality - how to become a master of your chosen destiny.
If you love quotes, this book is packed with them. It's also packed with examples of true stories.
Outliers leaves readers with the answer of how successful people got to the top -
Mastery leaves readers with a road map of how to become one of those successful people (accompanied by stories of achievement).
Compelling and commanding - this is a book that should come with a highlighter and will have a permanent place on your inspirational bookshelf.