The 48 Laws of Power

Download The 48 Laws of Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0670881465
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (78 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The 48 Laws of Power by : Robert Greene

Download or read book The 48 Laws of Power written by Robert Greene and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2023-10-31 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Influence Is Your Superpower

Download Influence Is Your Superpower PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1984854348
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (848 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Influence Is Your Superpower by : Zoe Chance

Download or read book Influence Is Your Superpower written by Zoe Chance and published by Random House. This book was released on 2022-02-01 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rediscover the superpower that makes good things happen, from the professor behind Yale School of Management's most popular class “The new rules of persuasion for a better world.”—Charles Duhigg, author of the bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better You were born influential. But then you were taught to suppress that power, to follow the rules, to wait your turn, to not make waves. Award-winning Yale professor Zoe Chance will show you how to rediscover the superpower that brings great ideas to life. Influence doesn’t work the way you think because you don’t think the way you think. Move past common misconceptions—such as the idea that asking for more will make people dislike you—and understand why your go-to negotiation strategies are probably making you less influential. Discover the one thing that influences behavior more than anything else. Learn to cultivate charisma, negotiate comfortably and creatively, and spot manipulators before it’s too late. Along the way, you’ll meet alligators, skydivers, a mind reader in a gorilla costume, Jennifer Lawrence, Genghis Khan, and the man who saved the world by saying no. Influence Is Your Superpower will teach you how to transform your life, your organization, and perhaps even the course of history. It’s an ethical approach to influence that will make life better for everyone, starting with you.

Six Pixels of Separation

Download Six Pixels of Separation PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Business Plus
ISBN 13 : 0446558141
Total Pages : 181 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (465 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Six Pixels of Separation by : Mitch Joel

Download or read book Six Pixels of Separation written by Mitch Joel and published by Business Plus. This book was released on 2009-09-07 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through the use of timely case studies and fascinating stories, Six Pixels of Separation offers a complete set of the latest tactics, insights, and tools that will empower you to reach a global audience and consumer base—which, best yet, you can do pretty much for free. Is it important to be connected? Well, consider this: If Facebook were a country, it would have the sixth largest population in the world. The truth is, we no longer live in a world of six degrees of separation. In fact, we're now down to only six pixels of separation, which changes everything we know about doing business. This is the first book to integrate digital marketing, social media, personal branding, and entrepreneurship in a clear, entertaining, and instructive manner that everyone can understand and apply. Digital marketing expert Mitch Joel unravels this fascinating world of new media-but does so with a brand-new perspective that is driven by compelling results. The smarter entrepreneurs and top executives are leveraging these digital channels to get their voice "out there"-connecting with others, becoming better community citizens, and, ultimately, making strategic business moves that are increasing revenue, awareness, and overall success in the marketplace—without the support of traditional mass media. Everyone is connected. Isn't it time for you and your company to connect to everyone?

Talk Like TED

Download Talk Like TED PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1466837276
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (668 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Talk Like TED by : Carmine Gallo

Download or read book Talk Like TED written by Carmine Gallo and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2014-03-04 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. In order to succeed, you need to be able to sell your ideas persuasively. This ability is the single greatest skill that will help you accomplish your dreams. Many people have a fear of public speaking or are insecure about their ability to give a successful presentation. Now public speaking coach and bestselling author Carmine Gallo explores what makes a great presentation by examining the widely acclaimed TED Talks, which have redefined the elements of a successful presentation and become the gold standard for public speaking. TED ? which stands for technology, entertainment, and design ? brings together the world's leading thinkers. These are the presentations that set the world on fire, and the techniques that top TED speakers use will make any presentation more dynamic, fire up any team, and give anyone the confidence to overcome their fear of public speaking. In his book, Carmine Gallo has broken down hundreds of TED talks and interviewed the most popular TED presenters, as well as the top researchers in the fields of psychology, communications, and neuroscience to reveal the nine secrets of all successful TED presentations. Gallo's step-by-step method makes it possible for anyone to deliver a presentation that is engaging, persuasive, and memorable. Carmine Gallo's top 10 Wall Street Journal Bestseller Talk Like TED will give anyone who is insecure about their public speaking abilities the tools to communicate the ideas that matter most to them, the skill to win over hearts and minds, and the confidence to deliver the talk of their lives. The opinions expressed by Carmine Gallo in TALK LIKE TED are his own. His book is not endorsed, sponsored or authorized by TED Conferences, LLC or its affiliates.

The Sense of an Ending

Download The Sense of an Ending PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0307957330
Total Pages : 158 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (79 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Sense of an Ending by : Julian Barnes

Download or read book The Sense of an Ending written by Julian Barnes and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-10-05 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

Not Born Yesterday

Download Not Born Yesterday PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691208921
Total Pages : 384 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Not Born Yesterday by : Hugo Mercier

Download or read book Not Born Yesterday written by Hugo Mercier and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2022-03-22 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why people are not as gullible as we think Not Born Yesterday explains how we decide who we can trust and what we should believe—and argues that we're pretty good at making these decisions. In this lively and provocative book, Hugo Mercier demonstrates how virtually all attempts at mass persuasion—whether by religious leaders, politicians, or advertisers—fail miserably. Drawing on recent findings from political science and other fields ranging from history to anthropology, Mercier shows that the narrative of widespread gullibility, in which a credulous public is easily misled by demagogues and charlatans, is simply wrong. Why is mass persuasion so difficult? Mercier uses the latest findings from experimental psychology to show how each of us is endowed with sophisticated cognitive mechanisms of open vigilance. Computing a variety of cues, these mechanisms enable us to be on guard against harmful beliefs, while being open enough to change our minds when presented with the right evidence. Even failures—when we accept false confessions, spread wild rumors, or fall for quack medicine—are better explained as bugs in otherwise well-functioning cognitive mechanisms than as symptoms of general gullibility. Not Born Yesterday shows how we filter the flow of information that surrounds us, argues that we do it well, and explains how we can do it better still.

What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You

Download What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Mango Media Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1642505633
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (425 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You by : Melina Palmer

Download or read book What Your Customer Wants and Can't Tell You written by Melina Palmer and published by Mango Media Inc.. This book was released on 2021-05-13 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do people buy? A behavioral economist explains the science of consumer behavior in “the most important business book to come out in years” (Michael F. Schein, author and columnist for Inc., Forbes, and Psychology Today). What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You explains the neuroscience of consumer behavior. Learn exactly why people buy—and how to use that knowledge to improve pricing, increase sales, create better “brain-friendly” brand messaging, and be a more effective leader. Behavioral economics is the marketing research future of brands and business. This book goes beyond an academic understanding of behavioral economics and into practical applications. Learn how real businesses and business professionals can use science to make their companies better. Business owner, consultant, and behavioral economics expert Melina Palmer helps leaders like you use the psychology of the consumer, innovation, and truly impactful branding to achieve real, bottom-line benefits. Discover information and tools you can actually use to influence consumers. Go beyond data science and learn how the consumer brain works. Dramatically improve your effectiveness as a leader and marketer with: · Real-world examples that bring a concept to life and make it stick · Ideas to help you with problem solving for your business · Ways to hack your brain into coming up with innovative programs, products, and initiatives “A stand-out guide for anyone fascinated by customer behavior and the science of decision-making.” —Madeline Quinlan, cofounder of Salient Behavioral Consultants

Psychology for Sustainability

Download Psychology for Sustainability PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317525795
Total Pages : 442 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (175 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Psychology for Sustainability by : Britain A. Scott

Download or read book Psychology for Sustainability written by Britain A. Scott and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-24 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Psychology for Sustainability, 4th Edition -- known as Psychology of Environmental Problems: Psychology for Sustainability in its previous edition -- applies psychological theory and research to so-called "environmental" problems, which actually result from human behavior that degrades natural systems. This upbeat, user-friendly edition represents a dramatic reorganization and includes a substantial amount of new content that will be useful to students and faculty in a variety of disciplines—and to people outside of academia, as well. The literature reviewed throughout the text is up-to-date, and reflects the burgeoning efforts of many in the behavioral sciences who are working to create a more sustainable society. The 4th Edition is organized in four sections. The first section provides a foundation by familiarizing readers with the current ecological crisis and its historical origins, and by offering a vision for a sustainable future.The next five chapters present psychological research methods, theory, and findings pertinent to understanding, and changing, unsustainable behavior. The third section addresses the reciprocal relationship between planetary and human wellbeing and the final chapter encourages readers to take what they have learned and apply it to move behavior in a sustainable direction. The book concludes with a variety of theoretically and empirically grounded ideas for how to face this challenging task with positivity, wisdom, and enthusiasm. This textbook may be used as a primary or secondary textbook in a wide range of courses on Ecological Psychology, Environmental Science, Sustainability Sciences, Environmental Education, and Social Marketing. It also provides a valuable resource for professional audiences of policymakers, legislators, and those working on sustainable communities.

Influence

Download Influence PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Pearson Scott Foresman
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Influence by : Robert B. Cialdini

Download or read book Influence written by Robert B. Cialdini and published by Pearson Scott Foresman. This book was released on 1988 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Influence: Science and Practice is an examination of the psychology of compliance (i.e. uncovering which factors cause a person to say "yes" to another's request) and is written in a narrative style combined with scholarly research. Cialdini combines evidence from experimental work with the techniques and strategies he gathered while working as a salesperson, fundraiser, advertiser, and other positions, inside organizations that commonly use compliance tactics to get us to say "yes". Widely used in graduate and undergraduate psychology and management classes, as well as sold to people operating successfully in the business world, the eagerly awaited revision of Influence reminds the reader of the power of persuasion. Cialdini organizes compliance techniques into six categories based on psychological principles that direct human behavior: reciprocation, consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

You Have More Influence Than You Think

Download You Have More Influence Than You Think PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 1324035951
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis You Have More Influence Than You Think by : Vanessa Bohns

Download or read book You Have More Influence Than You Think written by Vanessa Bohns and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2023-01-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you’ve ever felt ineffective, invisible, or inarticulate, chances are you weren’t actually any of those things. Those feelings may instead have been the result of a lack of awareness we all seem to have for how our words, actions, and even our mere presence affect other people. In You Have More Influence Than You Think social psychologist Vanessa Bohns draws from her original research to illustrate why we fail to recognize the influence we have, and how that lack of awareness can lead us to miss opportunities or accidentally misuse our power. Weaving together compelling stories with cutting edge science, Bohns answers the questions we all want to know (but may be afraid to ask): How much did she take to heart what I said earlier? Do they know they can push back on my suggestions? Did he notice whether I was there today? Will they agree to help me if I ask? Whether attending a meeting, sharing a post online, or mustering the nerve to ask for a favor, we often assume our actions, input, and requests will be overlooked or rejected. Bohns and her work demonstrate that people see us, listen to us, and agree to do things for us much more than we realize—for better, and worse. You Have More Influence Than You Think offers science-based strategies for observing the effect we have on others, reconsidering our fear of rejection, and even, sometimes, pulling back to use our influence less. It is a call to stop searching for ways to gain influence you don’t have and to start recognizing the influence you don’t realize you already have.

Remarkable Leadership

Download Remarkable Leadership PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118047559
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (18 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Remarkable Leadership by : Kevin Eikenberry

Download or read book Remarkable Leadership written by Kevin Eikenberry and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-02-17 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remarkable Leadership is a practical handbook written for anyone who wants to hone the skills they need to become an outstanding leader. In this groundbreaking book, Kevin Eikenberry outlines a framework and a mechanism for both learning new things and applying current knowledge in a thoughtful and practical way. Eikenberry provides a guide through the most important leadership competencies, offers a proven method for learning leadership skills, and shows approaches for applying these skills in today’s multitasking and overloaded world of work. The book explores real-world concerns such as focus, limited time, incremental improvement, and how we learn.

Giving Voice to Values

Download Giving Voice to Values PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300161328
Total Pages : 283 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (1 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Giving Voice to Values by : Mary C. Gentile

Download or read book Giving Voice to Values written by Mary C. Gentile and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2010-08-24 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How can you effectively stand up for your values when pressured by your boss, customers, or shareholders to do the opposite? Drawing on actual business experiences as well as on social science research, Babson College business educator and consultant Mary Gentile challenges the assumptions about business ethics at companies and business schools. She gives business leaders, managers, and students the tools not just to recognize what is right, but also to ensure that the right things happen. The book is inspired by a program Gentile launched at the Aspen Institute with Yale School of Management, and now housed at Babson College, with pilot programs in over one hundred schools and organizations, including INSEAD and MIT Sloan School of Management. She explains why past attempts at preparing business leaders to act ethically too often failed, arguing that the issue isn’t distinguishing what is right or wrong, but knowing how to act on your values despite opposing pressure. Through research-based advice, practical exercises, and scripts for handling a wide range of ethical dilemmas, Gentile empowers business leaders with the skills to voice and act on their values, and align their professional path with their principles. Giving Voice to Values is an engaging, innovative, and useful guide that is essential reading for anyone in business.

Think Twice

Download Think Twice PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard Business Review Press
ISBN 13 : 1422155544
Total Pages : 224 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (221 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Think Twice by : Michael J. Mauboussin

Download or read book Think Twice written by Michael J. Mauboussin and published by Harvard Business Review Press. This book was released on 2012-11-06 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No matter your field, industry, or specialty, as a leader you make a series of crucial decisions every single day. And the harsh truth is that the majority of decisions—no matter how good the intentions behind them—are mismanaged, resulting in a huge toll on organizations, the people they employ, and even the people they serve. So why is it so hard to make sound decisions? In Think Twice, now in paperback, Michael Mauboussin argues that we often fall victim to simplified mental routines that prevent us from coping with the complex realities inherent in important judgment calls. Yet these cognitive errors are preventable. In this engaging book, Mauboussin shows us how to recognize and avoid common mental missteps. These include misunderstanding cause-and-effect linkages, not considering enough alternative possibilities in making a decision, and relying too much on experts. Through vivid stories, the author presents memorable rules for avoiding each error and explains how to recognize when you should “think twice”—questioning your reasoning and adopting decision-making strategies that are far more effective, even if they seem counterintuitive. Armed with this awareness, you'll soon begin making sounder judgment calls that benefit (rather than hurt) your organization.

Within You Is the Power

Download Within You Is the Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101993464
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (19 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Within You Is the Power by : Joseph Murphy

Download or read book Within You Is the Power written by Joseph Murphy and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of three classic reissues by the mega-selling author of The Power of Your Subconscious Mind to inaugurate TarcherPerigee's exciting new line, The Joseph Murphy Library of Success! In this deeply practical and engaging guidebook, Joseph Murphy takes you into different cultures and ancient teachings from around the world to expose you to the unadorned truth of who you really are: a physical temple of cosmic power that is waiting to be unleashed by exercises, prayers, and techniques which have brought abundance and power to men and women across the ages.

You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Powers of Persuasion, and Why It Matters

Download You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Powers of Persuasion, and Why It Matters PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 1324005726
Total Pages : 246 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Powers of Persuasion, and Why It Matters by : Vanessa Bohns

Download or read book You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Powers of Persuasion, and Why It Matters written by Vanessa Bohns and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An original investigation of our hidden power to persuade, and how to wield it wisely. If you’ve ever felt ineffective, invisible, or inarticulate, chances are you weren’t actually any of those things. Those feelings may instead have been the result of a lack of awareness we all seem to have for how our words, actions, and even our mere presence affect other people. In You Have More Influence Than You Think social psychologist Vanessa Bohns draws from her original research to illustrate why we fail to recognize the influence we have, and how that lack of awareness can lead us to miss opportunities or accidentally misuse our power. Weaving together compelling stories with cutting edge science, Bohns answers the questions we all want to know (but may be afraid to ask): How much did she take to heart what I said earlier? Do they know they can push back on my suggestions? Did he notice whether I was there today? Will they agree to help me if I ask? Whether attending a meeting, sharing a post online, or mustering the nerve to ask for a favor, we often assume our actions, input, and requests will be overlooked or rejected. Bohns and her work demonstrate that people see us, listen to us, and agree to do things for us much more than we realize—for better, and worse. You Have More Influence Than You Think offers science-based strategies for observing the effect we have on others, reconsidering our fear of rejection, and even, sometimes, pulling back to use our influence less. It is a call to stop searching for ways to gain influence you don’t have and to start recognizing the influence you don’t realize you already have.

Techniques of Social Influence

Download Techniques of Social Influence PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317599632
Total Pages : 181 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (175 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Techniques of Social Influence by : Dariusz Dolinski

Download or read book Techniques of Social Influence written by Dariusz Dolinski and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-07-03 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every day we are asked to fulfil others’ requests, and we make regular requests of others too, seeking compliance with our desires, commands and suggestions. This accessible text provides a uniquely in-depth overview of the different social influence techniques people use in order to improve the chances of their requests being fulfilled. It both describes each of the techniques in question and explores the research behind them, considering questions such as: How do we know that they work? Under what conditions are they more or less likely to be effective? How might individuals successfully resist attempts by others to influence them? The book groups social influence techniques according to a common characteristic: for instance, early chapters describe "sequential" techniques, and techniques involving egotistic mechanisms, such as using the name of one’s interlocutor. Later chapters present techniques based on gestures and facial movements, and others based on the use of specific words, re-examining on the way whether "please" really is a magic word. In every case, author Dariusz Dolinski discusses the existing experimental studies exploring their effectiveness, and how that effectiveness is enhanced or reduced under certain conditions. The book draws on historical material as well as the most up-to-date research, and unpicks the methodological and theoretical controversies involved. The ideal introduction for psychology graduates and undergraduates studying social influence and persuasion, Techniques of Social Influence will also appeal to scholars and students in neighbouring disciplines, as well as interested marketing professionals and practitioners in related fields.

Forty-one False Starts

Download Forty-one False Starts PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN 13 : 0374709726
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (747 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Forty-one False Starts by : Janet Malcolm

Download or read book Forty-one False Starts written by Janet Malcolm and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2013-05-07 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A National Book Critics Circle Finalist for Criticism A deeply Malcolmian volume on painters, photographers, writers, and critics. Janet Malcolm's In the Freud Archives and The Journalist and the Murderer, as well as her books about Sylvia Plath and Gertrude Stein, are canonical in the realm of nonfiction—as is the title essay of this collection, with its forty-one "false starts," or serial attempts to capture the essence of the painter David Salle, which becomes a dazzling portrait of an artist. Malcolm is "among the most intellectually provocative of authors," writes David Lehman in The Boston Globe, "able to turn epiphanies of perception into explosions of insight." Here, in Forty-one False Starts, Malcolm brings together essays published over the course of several decades (largely in The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books) that reflect her preoccupation with artists and their work. Her subjects are painters, photographers, writers, and critics. She explores Bloomsbury's obsessive desire to create things visual and literary; the "passionate collaborations" behind Edward Weston's nudes; and the character of the German art photographer Thomas Struth, who is "haunted by the Nazi past," yet whose photographs have "a lightness of spirit." In "The Woman Who Hated Women," Malcolm delves beneath the "onyx surface" of Edith Wharton's fiction, while in "Advanced Placement" she relishes the black comedy of the Gossip Girl novels of Cecily von Zeigesar. In "Salinger's Cigarettes," Malcolm writes that "the pettiness, vulgarity, banality, and vanity that few of us are free of, and thus can tolerate in others, are like ragweed for Salinger's helplessly uncontaminated heroes and heroines." "Over and over," as Ian Frazier writes in his introduction, "she has demonstrated that nonfiction—a book of reporting, an article in a magazine, something we see every day—can rise to the highest level of literature." One of Publishers Weekly's Best Nonfiction Books of 2013