The Prince

By (author) Niccolo Machiavelli
Short description/annotation:
Part of the Chiltern Classics range
Description:

His name synonymous with political cunning, Machiavelli worked among the most powerful men in Europe, and in The Prince set down his ideas on how to gain power - and keep it. Iron pragmatism over noble ideals. The ends justify the means. Better to be feared than loved. Condemned as a devil''s treatise, lauded as a handbook for successful statecraft, The Prince is a key work in the field of political science.

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Biographical note:
Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian political philosopher, musician, poet, and playwright. He is a figure of the Italian Renaissance most widely known for his arguments on realist political theory (The Prince) and republicanism (Discourses on Livy). Machiavelli was born in Florence and served the Florentine republic as a secretary and second chancellor, as ambassador and foreign policymaker. When the Medici family returned to power in 1512, he was suspected of conspiracy, imprisoned and tortured and forced to retire from public life. The Prince was written in an attempt to gain favor with the Medicis and return to politics.