The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)

I’d been meaning to read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli based on the reputation of the book alone. People up to no good are said to be Machiavellian and manipulative. I expected a treatise on how to manipulate people on an individual level. It is a much broader book than that. The Prince is a guidebook for new rulers, or Princes, instructing them on the best way to rule over a populace. It’s a book on good governance with interesting bits of wisdom here and there. And, it’s a difficult read because the text calls on events that were current at the time it was written in 1513. The Prince also features a translation straight from antiquity. Consider this little bit about building fortresses… "So that, on the whole, the best fortress you can have, is in not being hated by your subjects. If they hate you no fortress will save you; for when once the people take up arms, foreigners are never wanting to assist them." That’s a bit of wisdom. It is immediately followed by this passage… "Within our own time it does not appear that fortresses have been of service to any Prince, unless to the Countess of Forlì after her husband Count Girolamo was murdered; for by this means she was able to escape the first onset of the insurgents, and awaiting succour from Milan, to recover her State; the circumstances of the times not allowing any foreigner to lend assistance to the people. But afterwards, when she was attacked by Cesare Borgia, and the people, out of hostility to her, took part with the invader, her fortresses were of little avail. So that, both on this and on the former occasion, it would have been safer for her to have had no fortresses, than to have had her subjects for enemies. All which considerations taken into account, I shall applaud him who builds fortresses, and him who does not; but I shall blame him who, trusting in them, reckons it a light thing to be held in hatred by his people." There are chapters on how to deal with flatterers and how to treat Ministers. The text concludes with Machiavelli encouraging a leader to use the lessons of the book and to step forward to rid Italian soil of barbarians. Machiavelli advises the need for realism and talks of the influence of Fortune, for good and bad. The Prince an interesting read with applications to the modern age, but to get to the meat of the advice, you get a big dose of the politics of the ancient world.

I often heard of this book but never read it and after reading it I am sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. Some people think that the book is cruel and calculating, but I think it is very insightful of how governments take over countries and keep their citizens in line. Some times it means killing the old administration (literally) and other times it means employing citizens in new territories that you are trying to take over. The writing wasn't convoluted at all. It was very clear and well written. This is definitely a book you can read over and over again.

Awesome but almost completely outdated book...unless your using it as a historical and allegorical insight or comparison for yourself. High value book that meets way too much negative criticism with next to zero context for when it was written

Politicians usually read this text in the first political science class which they take. Actually, understanding Politics without understanding the principles in this text is an impossibility. A person who does not understand the principles of this text is too naive to understand why their leaders do what they do. Politics occurs in business, family life, and other settings, as well as government; Machiavelli's rules may be applied in all of these. Though living by these rules isn't necessary, a successful politician must act with mindfulness of their implications, or face failure. Considering the far reaching implications of Machiavelli's thought, one might wonder why elementary school children do not study "the Prince." Many people don't have the guts to face what Machiavelli says. He presents the rules of 'hardball' politics; the only time that he mentions morality is when he describes the occasions in which a leader may need to fake it. Politicians have become so adept in following these rules that those whom they lead will often take offense at the suggestion that their leaders live by them. Read this book and understand the daily news. "The Prince" is the quintessential text of Political Science. The Dover edition, though small, does not lack any of the origional text. It does lack the clutter of scholarly commentaries. It belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the politics which impacts their life, but it will merely irritate the gullible

Luckily it's not too many pages because I look forward to spending some undisturbed time reading it again. I am very far from an historian but kept hearing about Machiavellian plots so I was intrigued. I read through it in very distracting circumstances at work here and there. But, what I did grasp is that many documented historical examples show that princes (people/governments/religions) are warlike, evil, ambitious, and unbelievably devious to futher their own positions and possessions. It also chronicles how the Church/Popes weave into history as being no better (exactly the same) as Princes. A good read. Definitely recommend. Read prior to this: The Church in History by Episcopalian Theologian John E. Booty. Currently reading: Dante's Divine Comedy.

..it just doesn't get me too excited, so it has been put down. This read is supposed to be one of those books that is insightful. It may be, but it has to be absorbing to keep my interest. Maybe I'll put it next to my bed so that I can read myself back to sleep.

C'est vraiment un excellent livre pour toutes les personnes qui s'intéressent à la manière dont fonctionnaient les gouvernements de l'époque. Le livre est anciens, mais vraiment bien écrit. Il est court, donc assez facile à livre. Je trouve que c'est un excellente moyen d'acquérir des connaissances sur des sujets dont on ne parle presque pas dans les écoles. Je recommande à 100% ce livre.

I bought this book after seeing a documentary on Machiavelli on BBC.. The book was written 500 years ago. I should have bought this 49 years ago, now I am retired. But still find it very interesting and now I am thinking where did I go wrong. I never knew that this book was in existence for 500. No body told me about this book. I am now happy that my son and daughter have bought this book and they find it useful in their career.

I wasn’t happy with the copy - it was bigger than I expected, I thought it would be A5. And it came with a scratch.

This book will teach you a very difficult lesson to grapple with: the right thing to do is entirely based on your position and the utility of your action. I didn't really know anything about Machiavelli except that his name is used in a negative manner all the time. I Googled him and read his Wikipedia just to get a better (and hopefully accurate) sense of who he was. On that Wikipedia page there was a quote from a letter he had written or something like that, and he was describing how in-depth intellectual conversations with the local statesmen during his exile made him cease fearing death. I found that so powerful and moving I figured I would give this guy a shot. This book is a serious mental exercise and very very fascinating. The details are almost irrelevant in the modern day but the message is clear: this is a guidebook explicitly for the rulers of old. It's very limited in it's context but it sheds some light on what these so called "1%" people have to do to survive. It's easy to forget that the "1%" isn't exactly an organized conglomerate, but rather a group of people that are actively trying to screw each other as much as they are trying to screw "the working man" in order to get filthy rich and insane levels of power. I digress; by far the best message in this book is something along the following: "a man should be befriended or utterly crushed; there is no middle ground".

The book is a history classic and I think it doesn't need to be presented or talked about any further.