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"Whether 'tis better to be loved or feared."'The Prince' is Machiavelli's classic text on the principles of gaining and holding power. ... Read more

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Nicolo Machiavelli was born at Florence on 3rd May 1469. He was the second son of Bernardo di Nicolo Machiavelli, a lawyer of some repute, and of Bartolommea di Stefano Nelli, his wife. Both parents were members of the old Florentine nobility.

His life falls naturally into three periods, each of which singularly enough constitutes a distinct and important era in the history of Florence. His youth was concurrent with the greatness of Florence as an Italian power under the guidance of Lorenzo de' Medici, Il Magnifico. The downfall of the Medici in Florence occurred in 1494, in which year Machiavelli entered the public service. During his official career Florence was free under the government of a Republic, which lasted until 1512, when the Medici returned to power, and Machiavelli lost his office. The Medici again ruled Florence from 1512 until 1527, when they were once more driven out. This was the period of Machiavelli's literary activity and increasing influence; but he died, within a few weeks of the expulsion of the Medici, on 22nd June 1527, in his fifty-eighth year, without having regained office.

YOUTH Aet. 1-25--1469-94

Although there is little recorded of the youth of Machiavelli, the Florence of those days is so well known that the early environment of this representative citizen may be easily imagined. Florence has been described as a city with two opposite currents of life, one directed by the fervent and austere Savonarola, the other by the splendour- loving Lorenzo. Savonarola's influence upon the young Machiavelli must have been slight, for although at one time he wielded immense power over the fortunes of Florence, he only furnished Machiavelli with a subject of a gibe in "The Prince," where he is cited as an example of an unarmed prophet who came to a bad end. Whereas the magnificence of the Medicean rule during the life of Lorenzo appeared to have impressed Machiavelli strongly, for he frequently recurs to it in his writings, and it is to Lorenzo's grandson that he dedicates "The Prince."

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Customer Reviews (65)

"Read: How to Be a Douch"
This is the quote I read when being suggested this book. This is a very interesting book so far. I'd definitely recommendthe Norton Critical Editions edition of it. It provides footnotes on each page for clarification, something that is not found in most literature this old. I am not dissatisfied in the least.

The Prince - Machiavelli:Timely Review of Political Infighting
I don't have the credentials to review this book!Current dissention in national politics and the development of deepening divisions of opinion is nothing new to the world.Machiavellian review was helpful in historical context in understanding political maneuvering today.Translation is convoluted to read but is more likely reflection of the language structures of the 16th century.Worthy of re-reading periodically as the human political model appears to have changed minimally in 500 years.

#20 Power Politics (Understanding the Enemy)
Power Politics (Understanding the Enemy)
The quintessential evil doers manual...knowing this will give you insights to all the power mongers of the planet!

A Classic
10/5 Stars:

Machiavelli, to me, was one of the most important writers of the science of war and politics. His views of war vary from both Clausewitz and Sun Tzu and he has written some interesting political views as well. The Art of War was considered to be his magnum opus, in part because it, of the two was published during his lifetime while The Prince was not. However, i consider The Prince to be far more influential and helpful in everyday life. This is a must-read for anyone interested in political science or even if you own or run a business or company. The Prince contains useful information on how to obtain a kingdom, and how to keep and maintain it; even how a prince should conduct himself to maintain either respect or fear in the hearts of the people. The book is short (about 81 pages) but very direct and precise, each sentence is worth very careful consideration.

One useful reading tip:

Unless you're a world historian, i strongly suggest reading this book next to an active internet connection for some quick history lessons. There's no lack of historic references of famous people such as Cyrus, Duke Valentino, and Alexander III of Macedon (Alexander the Great) throughout this book to emphasize Machiavelli's points and observations on the science of politics.

When a name becomes a pejorative adjective...
"Machiavellian" - not normally considered a term of approbation. There are numerous editions of this classic book on the use of political power, written in the 16th Century. In my edition, which I first purchased and read over 40 years ago, there is an introduction by Christian Gauss. In it, he says: "On the strength of a famous essay of Macaulay's, the notion had become fairly widespread that the devil himself had become familiarly known as the Old Nick only because Niccolo had been Machiavelli's first name." Machiavelli based his book on what seems to be an eminently sensible proposition: instead of describing an ideal world or society, why not describe political power in the context of the real world, shorn of moral considerations. He best formulated this premise in chapter 15, on "Of the Things for which Men, and Especially Princes, are Praised or Blamed," when he says: "Therefore it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it, according to the necessity of the case."

Machiavelli was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci, and lived at a time when the Popes, like Alexander VI, openly fathered children, despite that much tattered vow of chastity. On my recent re-read, the classic and timeless nature of Machiavelli's insights was confirmed. Various passages could have tumbled out of today's headlines:"Thus it came about that King Charles of France was allowed to take Italy without the slightest trouble, and those who said that it was owing to our sins..." Sounds like Pat Robertson pontificating about the reasons for 9-11, or the Haiti earthquake - it was God's wrath at our sins! There are substantial passages dedicated to the quality and type of soldiers that fight on behalf of your country. Consider: "The mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous, and if any one supports his state by the arms of mercenaries, he will never stand firm or sure..."And now America, due to the repeal of the draft, has an increasing chasm between the few that fight its wars, and the many who rest comfortably at home; and there is also an increasing reliance on foreigners in our military, serving in the hopes of obtaining citizenship, as well as a large number of mercenaries, epitomized by the infamous Blackwater Group.And how does this sound for a description of the "nobility" of Wall Street utilizing the political system, regardless of political party: "for when the nobility see that they are unable to resist the people they unite in exalting one of their number and creating him prince, so as to be able to carry out their own designs under the shadow of his authority."

"The Prince" is a short book, barely a hundred pages, in my edition, without the introduction. It is not a particularly easy read, for it is often a string of aphorisms that need to be considered and digested, all placed against a background of historical examples that most Americans are not familiar with, like the internecine struggles of Italy at the time, the various sieges of Syracuse (and we're not talking New York!), and the rule of Darius. In general though, Machiavelli's judgments have withstood the test of time. And the book is "choppy," as the author jumps from one topic to the other. Some of his assessments are questionable.Consider: "A prince is further esteemed when he is a true friend or a true enemy, when, that is, he declares himself without reserve in favor of some one or against another. This policy is always more useful than remaining neutral." Yet we have witnessed the enormous power and influence certain politicians have achieved by remaining in that seeming "neutral" position, as the "swing vote", as recently exemplified in the effort to pass comprehensive health care reform. Machiavelli concludes his book with a polemic of exhortation, urging that Italy be "liberated from the barbarians."The chapter is so anomalous with the rest of the work that some have proposed that it was added by others after his death.

Finally, I liked the balance that he struck between fortune (a/k/a dumb blind luck) and our ability to affect our fate: "Nevertheless, that our free will may not be altogether extinguished, I think it may be true that fortune is the ruler of half our actions, but that she allows the other half or thereabouts to be governed by us."

Overall, on the re-read, 4-stars.
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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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This Book Is In Italian. ... Read more

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This Book Is In German. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Machiavelli's best known work is The Prince, in which he describes the arts by which a Prince (a ruler) can retain control of his realm. He focuses primarily on what he calls the principe nuovo or "new prince", under the assumption that a hereditary prince has an easier task since the people are accustomed to him. All a hereditary prince needs to do is carefully maintain the institutions that the people are used to; a new prince has a much more difficult task since he must stabilize his newfound power and build a structure that will endure. This task requires the Prince to be publicly above reproach but privately may require him to do things of an evil nature in order to achieve the greater good. The Prince is different from other books about creating and controlling principalities because it doesn't tell the reader what an ideal prince or principality is. Machiavelli explains through examples which princes are the most successful in obtaining and maintaining power. He draws his examples from personal observations made while he was on diplomatic missions for Florence and from his readings in ancient history. His writing has the mark of the Renaissance upon it because he sprinkles his text with Latin phrases and many examples are drawn from Classical sources. ... Read more

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The seminal tract on politics, warfare, and society.For over 100 years, The Prince has been the "How to" guide for would-be conquerers. ... Read more

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The works of Machiavelli in one collection with an active table of contents.

Works include:

The Prince
Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius
The Art of War
History of Florence and Italy ... Read more

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In a commentary on the first ten books of Livy's history of Rome, Machiavelli derives lessons and principles about how to govern a republic.This is the companion book to his notorious "The Prince", which deals with monarchies and dictatorships.This seminal work of political science, also provides insight into the history of Rome and of Renaissance Italy. According to Wikipedia: "Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) was an Italian diplomat, political philosopher, musician, poet and playwright. Machiavelli was a figure of the Italian Renaissance, and a servant of the Florentine republic. In June of 1498, following the ouster and execution of Savonarola, the Great Council elected Machiavelli as the Secretary to the second Chancery of the Republic of Florence. He is most famous — or notorious — for one of his shorter works, The Prince, sometimes described as a work of realist political theory. However, both that text and the more substantial republican Discourses on Livy — as well as History of Florence (commissioned by the Medici family) — were printed only after his death, all appearing in the early 1530s. In his own lifetime, while he circulated The Prince among friends, the only work Machiavelli promoted through printing was his dialogue on The Art of War. But generations from the sixteenth century onwards were most attracted and repelled by the cynical approach to power on display in The Prince, Discourses and History. Whatever Machiavelli's own intentions (and they remain a matter of heated debate), his name became synonymous with ruthless politics, deceit and the pursuit of power by any means." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

More representative of Machiavelli
Read the Prince? Think Machiavelli is a power-grabbing loon? Read this and think again. In the Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli studies the history of the Roman Republic, compares it to Italy in the Renaissance, and attempts to found a theory of political stability based upon the people, and not the elitist monarchs. One of the first works to recognize the people as superior decision makers to the state.

A truely great evaluation of government
I am glad that I had read and re-read Titus Livy before reading this book. Doing so is not an absolute necessity, but I think it helps.

This fantastic book reveals how the governments of ancient Rome, renaissance Florence, and, if you will, modern America are confronted with nearly identical problems, and it is also made clear that nobody has worked out solutionw much superior to those embrassed by the leaders of Republican Rome. We would all be better off if our leaders could be required to read this book.

In THE PRINCE the author provides a renaissance monarch a survival kit for coping with the problems he would likely face. In the DISCOURSES we are treated to a much broader analysis of a better and more viable system of government which is amazingly similar to what the Founding Fathers of the United States tried to achieve. Alas, as with the Roman Republic, ours has, because of its current massiveness and complexity, appeared to have lost sight of what once made it great.

Father of Modern Political Philosophy
Niccolo Machiavelli, (1469-1527), writes the greatest treatise on keeping a republic vibrant by comparing Rome to republican Venice.Machiavelli has gained an unwarranted notorious reputation for his "evil" treatise on political thinking and acting through his authorship of "The Prince"."The Prince" received more notoriety than his politically erudite work "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy" in which Machiavelli espouses his belief that the Roman Republic was the best and most virtuous form of government to emulate.His breadth and understanding of Roman history is remarkable.Machiavelli's love of his country Florence, and the proud political work as a minor government administrator and ambassador Machiavelli performed during its years as a republic show through in this work.It was on his many ambassadorial trips to the French, Papal, and Italian courts that he learned to observe political leaders and their governmental institutions which formed the basis of his political theories in his many writings.My favorite quote from Machiavelli is; "It's better to act and repent then not to act and regret".

Modern philosophers starting with Machiavelli reject the classical view of politics as undemocratic and elitist.Only wealthy men of leisure would have time to develop the virtues and character necessary to rule.Machiavelli believed that man by nature was selfish and driven by ambition.Machiavelli is not interested in character formation and moral appeal but in building the right kind of institutions to govern society.Laws and justice would protect men from power hungry rulers.Modern philosophy is an out growth of the revolution that takes place in the natural sciences during the Enlightenment.The purpose of science is the conquest of nature man is in control of human life.Philosophers from Machiavelli on become sectarian."Everything good is due to man's labor rather than to nature's gift."

As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I found this to be an indispensable book to continue one's journey into political philosophy and history of Europe.
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Product Description
Machiavelli's The Prince needs little introduction. Touted as one of the precursors of modern political science The Prince is one of the earliest works describing how to grab power and hold it. Read by almost every modern politician The Prince presents a logical, cold and calculated approach to ruling an empire.

This particular edition is formatted specifically for use on the Kindle platform featuring a linked table of contents and content formatted in such a way that is readable regardless of your Kindle's reading preferences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Powerful Timely Political Commentary
So up to date for todays powerful political and business environment.It could have been written today.A must for all students.

A famous--though shocking--medieval book on politics
Machiavelli's THE PRINCE is the most famous book on politics when politics is thought to be carried out for its own sake, unlimited by anything above it.The renown of THE PRINCE is precisely to have been the first and the best book to argue that politics has and should have its own rules and should not accept rules of any kind or from any source where the object is not to win or prevail over others. Readers may (almost certainly will) still find much of The Prince shocking, however, it does offer many valuable insights into the thinking behind much of the politics in Machiavelli's day--and perhaps our own.

ok
the book is small it fits into the palm of my hand. and it really isn't a hard back it's more like a paperback lamented. the commentary is ok i think i would of rather bought an ordinary copy instead but it's not to bad

A great little book...
I love this little book. I only wish Mr. Machiavelli had written more - much more. One word says it all: honest. This book tells it like it is. Not for the politically correct, but for those who appreciate an honest take on politics and government. If you love books that say it like it is, no matter the politics, then you'll likely enjoy this small book. Amazingly refreshing for 1530 AD. Like I said above, I only wish Mr. Machiavelli had written more.

a classic
Machiavelli wrote this masaterpiece for the Prince of Florence as a guide on how to attain power and, once there, how to keep it.The lessons contained therein are as true today as they were in Renaissance Italy 500 years ago.While much of what Machiavelli has to say may seem "underhanded" or even "immoral", this book has been the manual for many who were successful in reaching their political goals - one might even say (in true Machiavellian fashion) that morals have no place in politics...

Regardless of one's feelings about the messages of the book, it is an excellent commentary on the human condition, on politics, and especially on those who practice the art.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Das Buch Der Fürst (italienisch Il Principe) wurde, um 1513 von Niccolò Machiavelli verfasst, postum 1532 publiziert. Es gilt neben den Discorsials sein Hauptwerk. Teilweise in der Tradition der mittelalterlichen Fürstenspiegel geschrieben, gilt es ebenfalls als eines der ersten – wenn nicht als das erste – Werk der modernen politischen Philosophie. Eine eigene Interpretation entstand im Machiavellismus bzw. Antimachiavellismus. ... Read more

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'I am at my farm; and, since my last misfortunes, have not been in Florence twenty days. I spent September in snaring thrushes; but at the end of the month, even this rather tiresome sport failed me. I rise with the sun, and go into a wood of mine that is being cut, where I remain two hours inspecting the work of the previous day and conversing with the woodcutters, who have always some trouble on hand amongst themselves or with their neighbours. ... Read more

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The best of political science throughout history including the book which started it all, The Prince:

Politics: A Treatise On Government, by Aristotle
Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
Political Thought In England From Locke To Bentham, by Harold Laski,
A Preface To Politics, by Walter Lippmann
Second Treatise On Government, by John Locke
Considerations For a Representative Government, by John Stuart Mill,
Utopia, by Thomas More
The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli ... Read more

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EARLY DOCUMENTS OF WORLD HISTORY. Imagine holding history in your hands. Now you can. Digitally preserved and previously accessible only through libraries as Early English Books Online, this rare material is now available in single print editions. Thousands of books written between 1475 and 1700 can be delivered to your doorstep in individual volumes of high quality historical reproductions. This collection combines early English perspectives on world history with documentation of Parliament records, royal decrees and military documents that reveal the delicate balance of Church and State in early English government. For social historians, almanacs and calendars offer insight into daily life of common citizens. This exhaustively complete series presents a thorough picture of history through the English Civil War.

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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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I discorsi di Nicolo Machiavelli, sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio Con due tauole, l'vna de capitoli, & l'altre delle cose principali: & con le stesse parole di Tito Liuio a luoghi loro, ridotte nella volgar lingua.
Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio
Ab urbe condita.Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469-1527.
The imprint is false; actual place of publication and printer from STC.
[16], 200 leaves
In Palermo [i.e. London] : Appresso gli heredi d'Antoniello degli Antonielli [i.e. John Wolfe], a xxviij. di genaio. 1584.
STC (2nd ed.) / 17159
Italian
Reproduction of the original in the Harvard University Library ... Read more