De Principatibus / Il Principe

The Prince by Machiavelli is a book written in 1513 as a guide for Princes on how to rule either new principalities or old ones. It's an interesting book, but a simple one. As an introductory course on Realpolitik it works well, but most of the things he says you'll already know. He'll also just be wrong at certain times like when he talks about Military Matters that he very clearly doesn't understand. However this book does... Read Full Review

machiavelli wrote one of the most influential pieces of literature during the 16th century and i’m proud to say that i’ve read it and enjoyed it.

This is a must read for literate thinking persons. I have enjoyed the historical setting introduction to the text. It was a valuable enlightenment into the character of Machiavelli, and the events occureing in the nations during Machiavelli's life. Many of the things he speaks of, a person can see repeated or reflected in politics in our world history in the succeeding centuries since Machiavelli's time. A worthwhile way to... Read Full Review

Machiavelli's The Prince is one of the classic books to center the ideas of gaining and holding power in political life and what a "Prince" must do to not only accomplish these tasks, but do them successfully. This version of the book is a great copy to use and carry around because Penguin has made this short book into a very small compact size, while not compromising text size and even leaving some room to write in the margins... Read Full Review

In the course of my political science training, I studied at great length the modern idea of realpolitik. In that study I came to realise that it was somewhat incomplete, without the companionship of The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine governmental official in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The Prince is an oft quoted, oft mis-quoted work, used as the philosophical underpinning for much of what... Read Full Review