LOS ANGELES

ROBERT GREENE, the author of books like “The 48 Laws of Power,” “The 33 Strategies of War” and “Mastery” (his latest, out this month), is a walking reminder that writers often lead very different lives off the page. Mr. Greene’s specialty is analyzing the lives and philosophies of historical figures like Sun Tzu and Napoleon, and extracting from them tips on how to manipulate people and situations — a cutthroat worldview that has earned him a devoted following among a like-minded readership of rappers, drug dealers and corporate executives.

Upon learning that the author makes his home in Los Angeles, one imagines a ruthless power broker, peering down at the city from one of those modernist dwellings high above the Sunset Strip, the architecture all hard surfaces and empty rooms.

But Mr. Greene’s home, a one-story Spanish bungalow on a quiet street in the Los Feliz neighborhood, doesn’t conform to the image suggested by his books. Nor does the author himself, a mild bookish type in glasses who greeted a visitor on a recent afternoon by eagerly showing off the Vietnamese champaca he had planted on his front lawn.

“I don’t know if you’re into gardens and plants, but I’m proud of this tree,” Mr. Greene said, holding a leaf between his fingers. “I just love the colors of the leaves and the scent.”