Provocative, brutally honest, and timeless, Machiavelli’s The Prince is one of the most important and most misunderstood writings in history. In it, Machiavelli lays bare the reality behind politics as it has always been practiced, teaching leaders to avoid the errors and failings of others while also educating those outside of government about what goes on inside the halls of power. This edition offers a new and lively translation of The Prince, written in fluid modern English that is impressively accurate to the original source. It also includes extensive selections from the Discourses on Livy, together with a range of Machiavelli’s other works such as his poetry, his personal correspondence, and the Florentine Histories. The supplemental readings, engaging original introduction, and thorough annotations provided in this edition show the relevance of The Prince to a wide range of themes: human nature, the philosophy of history, and the existential question all rulers face: how to survive in a world that is largely outside of one’s control.
The Prince
Introduction
- Florence During the Italian Renaissance
- Key Concepts in Machiavelli’s Thought
- Machiavelli’s Relation to the Ancients and his Contemporaries
- Initial Reactions to The Prince
- More Recent Interpretations of Machiavelli and The Prince
Bibliography
Timeline of Events Relevant to Machiavelli’s Life
Select Historical Figures Relevant to Machiavelli’s Life and The Prince
Map of Renaissance Italy
The Prince
Appendices
- Appendix A: Selections from Discourses on Livy
- Appendix B: Selections from Tercets on Fortune
- Appendix C: On Opportunity
- Appendix D: Selections from Tercets on Ambition
- Appendix E: Selections from The Golden Ass
- Appendix F: Selections from Florentine Histories
- Appendix G: Selections from The Art of War
- Appendix H: Selections from The Life of Castruccio Castracani
- Appendix I: Personal Correspondence
- • A new highly readable translation of The Prince, with helpful contextualizing footnotes throughout.
- • An abridged version of the Discourses on Livy, alongside selections from Machiavelli’s other writing and personal correspondence.
- • A student-oriented introduction discusses Machiavelli’s life, the historical context of the Italian Renaissance, key concepts from Machiavelli’s writings, and the history of reactions and interpretations to The Prince.
- • An original map of Renaissance Italy, a chronology of major events in Machiavelli’s life, and a list of historical persons mentioned in The Prince.