Books by Brendan Bruce
Images of Power (1992)
First book ever written on the marketing of politics by a professional spin doctor. From Amazon: "What exactly is image making? Who are the image makers? In his analysis of the image making process, Brendan Bruce (one of Margaret Thatcher's former image advisers) unravels the mystery that has surrounded this subject for decades. Tracing image making back to its historical roots, Bruce shows that it is by no means a modern phenomenon: the powerful have been employing image makers since Tudor England. This century has witnessed the development of sophisticated techniques for shaping the public images of the famous (and would-be famous) in politics and business. Bruce explains the debt the contemporary image experts owe to the Hollywood studios who raised "hype" to an art form, perfected "scandal management" and used the "makeover" system to turn truck drivers and waitresses into legends. Bruce examines in detail how the "body language" gurus, "grooming" experts and voice coaches prepare the world's leaders for their public appearances. He also explains how "attack" advertising is ruthlessly exploited to destroy opposition and how sophisticated technology is used to manipulate mass audiences. Churchill, Kennedy, Thatcher, Reagan, Major and Bush are only a few of the famous personalities that are analyzed in this study."
ON THE ORIGIN OF SPIN (2026 EDITION): (Or how Hollywood, the Mad Men and the World Wide Web became the Fifth Estate)
From Amazon: "Are you studying politics? Or maybe you are thinking of a career which involves understanding how politics and government works? Or perhaps you just want to learn more about how politicians are elected? If so, this is the book for you. Written by one of the world's top spin doctors, this book was written to answer some of the questions many people are now asking, especially after the election of Donald Trump, such as ‘what is spin? where and when did it originate?’ how does it work? and how can I recognize it when I'm looking at the media? If you want to be equipped with all the knowledge you need to write an essay on politics, or avoid getting duped by unscrupulous politicians, this is the book for you."
Brendan's Rules of Work
From Amazon: "How do we become better at our work? How do we avoid mistakes? How do we become more efficient? How do we add value? How do we become a trusted part of the team? How do we create our own working principles? These, and many other work-related questions are answered in this new version of the long-established 'Brendan's Rules of Work'. In fact, these are not really ‘rules’, so much as 100 observations and conclusions based on the wisdom gained from Brendan's huge working experience, which spans fifty years of working with presidents, prime ministers, company heads, and billionaire entrepreneurs. Your experience is/will be different, and you should make your own rules. But this could be a helpful place to start.
'On Opening Mr. Keatley's Commonplace Book'
A selection of advice from thinkers and doers on how to live a more productive and happier life.
