Best Manipulation Books

If you’re looking for the best books on manipulation, you found them.

And if you’re looking for more general information on psychological manipulation and Machiavellianism, you’ve found the right website :).

However, the information and psychology contained in these books can be turned into dark psychology and used for manipulation.
We do not endorse or condone exploitation, but we believe that learning these dynamics is crucial to an empowered and successful life.

Let’s start.

Note:
This list of best manipulation books only includes books that social scientist and power dynamics expert Lucio Buffalmano studied firsthand, so you get real takeaways, not rehashed lists. We also continuously update this list based on new best books we review.

13. The Gervais Principle

By Venkatesh Rao
Summary

Technically, it’s a series of posts turned into a book.

But if your goal is to understand manipulation, then wisdom should be your top priority and not the format.

And although the framework in The Gervais Principle may be simplistic and more theoretical than practical, it’s still one of the best books to understand corporate manipulation (<- and that one linked there is the best post to understand corporate manipulation, BTW).

If you’re looking for practical wisdom instead, then Business University may be your best bet to turn knowledge into strategies and techniques.

So why is promoting over-performing Losers logical?
The simple reason is that if you over-perform at the Loser level (ed.: the low-level employee), it is clear that you are an idiot. You’ve already made a bad bargain, and now you’re delivering more value than you need to, making your bargain even worse.

12. In Sheep’s Clothing

By George Simon
Summary | Amazon

This is one of the foundational books on manipulation.

It covers the psychology of social manipulators, power-hungry men, and covert aggression.

Covert aggression is aggression in disguise, often used by social manipulators so that they can always deny their aggression, retreat, save face, and then probably blame you for your own overreaction.
To deal with it effectively, see “handling microaggressions“.

“In Sheep’s Clothing” was also one of the “The Power Moves recommended books”.
I appreciated a lot that the author takes a stand against the tendency of some psychologists to make up excuses for manipulators’ behavior.
With this book, you will learn manipulators’ psychology, manipulators’ strategies, and a few defensive techniques.

It’s more on the theoretical side, though.
If you’re looking for proper defense against manipulators, keep on reading.

Evil arises from the failure of owning and disciplining one’s own basic instincts.

11. Propaganda

By Edward Bernays
Summary | Amazon

This is where it all started when it comes to books on manipulation.

Propaganda is manipulation from the top to direct the masses. 
And albeit it’s probably not true that anyone can single-handedly instill thoughts, values, and beliefs in a nation’s mind, it’s certainly possible -and likely- that many people can be heavily influenced.

Bernays didn’t have the means or the access to the research and studies we have today, yet his own observations are sometimes so prescient and accurate that it feels like this book has been written in the Trump era.

This is my own quote from a collage of this wonderful classic on manipulation:

Universal literacy was supposed to educate the common man to control his environment.
“Once he could read and write he would have a mind fit to rule”. Or so ran the democratic doctrine. 
Instead, it gave them propaganda. And an easier way for the masters to control him.

10. The Art of Deception 

By Kevin Mitnick
Summary | Amazon

This is the best book I have read about social engineering. 

Anyone interested in manipulation, let alone anyone who’s working in security and IT security should get it.

There are tons of examples of actual manipulations and albeit some of them are so simple and straightforward… A surprising amount of times that’s all you need to trick most people.

A good social engineer never advertises his skills and knowledge. 
You always want people to underestimate you, not see you as a threat.

9. A Goal Diggers Guide 

By Baje Fletcher
Summary | Amazon

It says “goal”, but it’s actually a handy guide for gold diggers. 

Baje Fletcher, the author, shares the autobiographical stories of her heydays as an actual gold digger, including tips and pieces of advice on how to be the best gold digger you can (LOL to that).

I wouldn’t want to be in any of these guys’ shoes, as the author swears she got money and gifts “without ever giving it up”.

Also, equally instructive:

• Ho Tactics is Similar to Goal Digger but written by a guy. There is even more wisdom and lots of gold nuggets on power dynamics in the examples.
• The 48 Laws of The Game: Why learn from a hoe, when you can learn from a pimp?

Ask him “what are you drinking”, and if he doesn’t offer you the same, drop him immediately.

8. The 48 Laws of Power

By Robert Greene
Summary | Amazon

A book that needs a little intro, and a modern classic.

Not strictly about manipulation, but there is plenty of interpersonal relationships maneuvering and strategizing that might fall into the definition of “manipulation”.

For beginners, I highly recommend you read “The 48 Laws of Fools“ and “The Updated 48 Laws of Power” series.

Also good from Greene:

• The 33 Strategies of War: not just war as in pitch battles and armies, but also daily wars and manipulation with passive-aggression, microaggressions, and mind-fuckery.

Appeal to self-interest. Self-interest rules the world.

7. 30 Covert Emotional Manipulation Tactics 

By Adelyn Birch
Summary | Amazon

Brief and to the point, it’s a solid overview of manipulation techniques in relationships.

Needless to say, we are talking about abusive relationships here so get this book to learn about the relationships that you must avoid.

I also highly recommend this article:

• Gaslighting, which also applies to all socialization
• Psychopath’s sexual strategies: including techniques and strategies to control women

A loving relationship doesn’t hurt you. 
Pretty obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people need to be reminded that.

6. The Art of Seduction

By Robert Greene
Summary |Amazon

When it comes to power moves and the best manipulation books, Robert Greene is a must.

The Art of Seduction mixes seduction with social charm as a tool for gaining leverage over others.
And although it’s not the best book for modern dating, it’s one of the best books on seduction.

There is too little mystery in the world; too many people say exactly what they feel or want.

5. How to Lie with Statistics

By Darrell Huff
Summary |Amazon

Dear readers,

I am sure that there are many among you who ended up here looking for some sort of secret NLP wisdom.

Maybe something like “how to hypnotize” or some other covert manipulation techniques to control minds.

Then you put your shoes back on to go out, you brush your teeth and wash your hands… And you’ve likely already been the victim of manipulation 3 times without even realizing it.
Make it 4 if you also get chewing gum and make 5 if you used some over-the-counter medication (and slap yourself if you used some counter-productive spray for sore throats).

Keep this in mind:

The biggest manipulator in this world is marketing.
And the second is “scientific data” and researches.

Both data and research hide behind a firewall of trust and credibility lent by the high authority that our society grants to numbers and data.

And don’t get me wrong: science does deserve that trust and respect.

And besides being nowhere near “the truth” as many believe, data and numbers are also extremely pliable to manipulation.
And brands, dumb journalists, and unscrupulous scientists “massage” data and numbers to manipulate people day in and day out (brands and scientists at least, the dumb journalists simply help the manipulation by parroting that data without even understanding it).

“How to Lie With Statistics” makes it to the #5 spot of the best books on manipulation because it calls out some of the most insidious manipulators of them all: those that sway you with a white coat, coming out of a scientific lab and carrying a bunch of charts and data.

It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us in trouble. It’s the things we know that ain’t so

4. Who’s Pulling Your Strings

By Harriet Braiker
Summary | Amazon

Probably the best overview of interpersonal manipulation, including:

1. The psychological profiles of manipulators
2. The personal weaknesses manipulators exploit 
3. The technical steps to end manipulation
4. The self-development work to become more manipulation-resistant

If you’re interested in manipulation in close and intimate relationships, I also recommend:

• Emotional blackmail

If you are not willing to lose the relationship—even when it means losing yourself in the process— then you are not ready to stop being a victim.

3. Seduction University

By Lucio Buffalmano
Overview

Technically, this is a course, rather than a book on manipulation.

But still, if you’re after learning, then a course can be much better than a book.

There are not many resources, be it courses or books, on manipulation between the sexes.

Yes, there is the red pill, but that’s mostly focused on the female side of manipulation, including:

• Games women play,
• Manipulative games women play
• Female domestication: how women control men

Plus it’s somewhat biased.

And there are feminists.
But they only focus on games men play, and the “patriarchy” defending its power.

Seduction University leverages much evolutionary psychology and personal experience to provide a more balanced view of the manipulation that takes place in dating and mating.

“Look at him, he looks just like you”, she said while holding the baby.
And beyond those sweet, most innocent-sounding words, might lie the darkest manipulation of them all.

2. No Logo

By Naomi Klein
Summary | Amazon

No Logo is a greatly underrated book.

Back when it came out some rejected it out of political ideology, branding Naomi Klein as a tree hugger leftist.

And some of the most cynics said she’s getting rich with the same capitalist system she criticizes.

Yet some others say it’s naive to believe that a world without logos could even exist.

No Logo also lacks in scientific rigor.
Far more qualitative than quantitative, lots of opinions, and tons of storytelling.

And that criticism raises good points.

To begin with, it’s one of the best books on the irrational pull of brands, PR, and marketing.
Capitalism runs on consumerism.
And the best capitalists win on branding. Branding is the only true modern propaganda.

It wasn’t meant as a marketing book, and yet it’s one of the best books on marketing I have ever read. 
Simon Sinek’s wildly popular “Start With WHY” with annexed TED talk basically copied NO Logo’s main idea -but forgot to credit it-.

Second, it will help you get rid of the brands and marketing’s yoke.

Third, it will open your eyes to the biggest manipulation occurring in our current society.

Why?

Because Ms. Klein makes you feel, at a visceral level, the astounding power that brands can exert on the psyche of millions of people.

No Logo is the book that, better than anyone else, truly uncovers the manipulative power of marketing.

If you thought manipulation was a snake-oil salesman selling useless garbage, you’re amiss.

The high-level manipulation is the manipulation that makes you crave the latest shiny jewel, that makes you feel proud for owning it, talking it up to your friends, proudly showing its logo while you also market it for them -for free-.

Picture the thousands who waste a day of their lives queuing for the “privilege” of dropping a thousand dollars on a phone they don’t need which is no better than the one they already have.

Or look at your shoes.
Are any of them Nike, Rebook, Adidas…? 
Those companies are not shoe companies, they are marketing companies in the business of manipulation.
The shoes are overpriced pieces of plastic produced at the cheapest location they could find.

And people all around the world proudly wear them as they recite the advertising slogans.
“Just do it”, they say.
“Just buy it” is what Nike actually meant.

If that’s not the best-executed manipulation, my friends I don’t know what it is!

And of course, that’s only the tip of the iceberg…

Scott Bedbury, Starbucks’ vice president of marketing, openly recognized that “consumers don’t truly believe there’s a huge difference between products,” which is why brands must “establish emotional ties” with their customers

Those “emotional ties”, my friends, are manipulations.

1. Power University

By Lucio Buffalmano
Overview | Reviews

Power University is the definitive course on mastering manipulation, influence, and social power.

This website pioneered the science of manipulation dynamics, and Power University brings it all together—every key insight and strategy, refined and field-tested for practical, real-world success.

It’s not just about defense; you’ll learn to counter manipulators and reach your goals. And, when it’s fair, you’ll discover how to wield ethical manipulation to your advantage.

If you’re serious about rising above, commanding respect, and gaining an edge, Power University is your answer.

Good books on manipulation

The following books are not strictly focused on manipulation.
But there are several gold nuggets here and there:

• The Wisdom of Psychopaths: what we can learn from psychopaths
  | by K Dutton

• The good psychopath’s guide: how to become a good psychopath
  | by K Dutton

• Don’t Think of An Elephant focused on political manipulation.
  | by G Lakoff

• How to Mindfuck a Guy: a psychological analysis on potentially manipulative seductive techniques