The Art of Seduction

This excellent book makes one good point: deception is harder to detect than what is commonly believed, for people prefer to live in fantasy than in reality; promise what your victim wants, he/she will blind fold their own eyes for you. A large portion of the book, however, is just highly entertaining non-sense. It uses history, non-scientific and unverifiable examples, to lull the readers alway from reality(now) and into fantasy(history). After all, how does the author really know about the psycological state of a person who had died serveral hundred years ago, and that, in fact, the history had been recorded correctly. A previous reviewer said it dead on the spot, try to apply the techniques this book described if you will(and many of them are very useful), but ultimately use your common sense. Don't get carried away by your own illusion. As anyone knows, sometimes a direct and honest approach is most satisfying, and works best. Try to remember that after reading this powerful and persuasive book. Also, has anyone looked up the definition of a sociopath? Interestingly, it is very close to the definition of a 'seducer' described in this book. For example, a sociopath is "an amoral person who doesn't see others as people, but as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims. They are deceitful, irritable, reckless, lack of remorse, and usually fail to conform to social norms." So to become a good seducer is to amplify certain qualities of a sociopath in yourself. But whatever the true is about the art of seduction, this is a very good book to read. I highly recommend buying a copy of your own. If nothing else, this book will add another dimension to the way you perceive social relationships of any kind, business or personal.

This book will change your life--if you're ready for it. I actually bought this book 4 months ago, but never read it. It was just a conversation piece I'd have in my bookshelf. I flipped through the pages and think, "This is really intense." Then I'd put it back on the shelf and read something else. It wasn't until I received it as a gift from my best friend that I actually had the courage to sit down and absorb what lay inside.This book is perfect for those who are overly romantic, hypersensitive, and think that love is an "all or nothing" quantity. I am all three. :) Or at least I was. The author of this book is brilliant (and did a LOT of homework judging by the material both in the body of the text as well as in the margins). I was impressed (and intimidated) by the density of the book--which is probably why I didn't want to read it at first. It took me about an hour to read 10 pages (not "skim," but "READ"). But I couldn't put it down because I felt that whatever I didn't get to read was making my present-day actions incomplete. (Yup. It's that powerful.)I devoted a solid week of my time to reading this book (and yes, I do have a job--and a life). It was just that good. I'm actually reading it a second time to make sure what I gleaned remains in my mind. It helps if you're somewhat of an educated individual, though. Some mythological references stirred up things I had learned in middle and high school, so I had to constantly refresh my memory and think, "Oh yeah! I remember that story!"If you open this book and find it daunting, then you're not ready for it. Simple. But when you are ready for it (or when a third party who loves you and knows you well believes you're ready), you won't want to put it down. It's an amazing text which completely altered how I view both myself and the world around me. If you're open to change, this is the book for you. If not, then you'll probably be a seducer's willing victim somewhere down the road. :)"You think you know, but you have no idea..."

Greene's author personality oozes through this one conspicuously. He seems to be in almost physical pain whenever an opportunity to either praise himself or put a criticizing label on others is either missed or (more likely) abandoned because of editorial cajoling. In other words, the writing appears exceptionally narcissistic. That makes the book more about congratulating oneself for success in seduction and mocking either the seduced or those who either fail to seduce. That makes the book tedious to read, since it never leaves this limiting and narrow authorial persona.Does that make it wrong? No. Much of what this book says is accurate to a more or less useful extent. The problem is the way it is worded, and the lack of mentalization used to compose the entire book. It is more a handbook for those who have already succeeded in seduction, so that they can congratulate themselves. It will not help those who try and fail at seduction, since their perspective is never considered as anything more than a target to be mocked.

No damage whatsoever, came well-packaged. Perfect condition.

This is a big book of red flags. If you’re interested in history and the tactics seducers have used across centuries — tactics still alive today — it’s worth a read. The strategies themselves aren’t inherently good or evil; it depends entirely on your intent. If you’re out to mislead someone for selfish reasons, that’s on you. But if you want to court someone sincerely and build a genuine relationship, then yes, the book can give you ideas.Greene cherry-picks anecdotes from history, often filling the margins with parables. Where it falls flat for me is when he leans on fictional stories to “prove” a point — they feel exaggerated and flimsy.I’m convinced the tactics work. But they’re cold, pragmatic, and detached. You’ll get out of it what you put into it — and consequences always follow.Also, read the very back. Appendix A and Appendix B are worth the extra attention. They’re basically a brief summary of everything he covered in the entire book, focusing primarily on crowd control and how to direct people’s attention.One last note: most of the stories feature wealthy, eccentric aristocrats. If you try to mimic these behaviors as an ordinary person, it won’t look charming — it’ll look off-putting or manipulative. Wealth and reputation insulate many of the examples in this book. Without that, much of its advice can turn toxic fast.I personally enjoyed the short stories from different points in history. If for nothing else, it’s worth the read for that alone.