The Prince

by Niccolò Macchiavelli, W.K. Marriott (Translator), Calvin Lowe (Editor)

The Prince, political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli, written in 1513. A short treatise on how to acquire power, create a state, and keep it, The Prince represents Machiavelli's effort to provide a guide for political action based on the lessons of history and his own experience as a foreign secretary in Florence.

Genres: Politics, Philosophy

184 pages, Hardcover

Published May 6, 2023

Reviews

[ellaaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

i took such a long hiatus but he shoulda been a prince he knew his italian history

[Harshad Gurudatta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolute Cinematic book and in this book he has used many metaphor and historical stories to elaborate his ideas and thoughts.

[Canaan Va’Aelua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is misunderstood, either because people have never read it or they have not taken the time to understand the context. I recommend buying a recent translation with an introduction by the translator as these usually give a broad picture of Machiavelli’s life and the political climate of Florence.

Do I agree with everything in this book? absolutely not. Do I think it’s still relevant? absolutely. While forms of government have changed over the past 500 years, there are persistent themes which Machiavelli ingeniously proves with examples from ancient and recent history.

I’d recommend for everyone to read this book at least once in their life, especially if you love church history, ancient history, politics, or wish to conquer a neighbouring city with the help of a foreign power.

[Mango · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this to more interesting than I expected. I am not saying everything said in this book is correct, but I definitely think everyone should read this at some point in their life. It has a very interesting perspective on what makes a good leader and what an ideal government looks like.

Again, I don't agree with a lot of the views said in this book. But it was definitely interesting and changed my way of thought significantly.

[Antonino P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Racconta storie di tanti sovrani prendendone esempio per dare consigli a chi vuole conquistare e mantenere un regno.

[Ebba Olsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

🥱

[Danica Stankovic · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Magnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book did not speak to me, although I appreciate that it has to be viewed in the context of when it was written. To fully grasp this book requires A LOT of reading on the side. Therefore, as a standalone book, I rank it rather lowly. Perhaps better adaptations exist that are more self-contained in terms of context and accessibility.