The Prince

I had alway heard “that is so Machiavelli” and never knew that they were actually quotes of a actual person who mastered deception

The printing quality, the paper and font are barely readable. Great book but the quality is terrible

A picture says so much; but there is only one. But with a smile as iconic as the Mona Lisa. Perhaps the reader is more familiar with his last name - Machiavelli.Nicolo Machiavelli. There is probably no great politician in any country in the past 500 years that is not familiar with his book "The Prince" - a treatise on the machinations of an effective politician. The psychology of political thought is a mouthful, but it would behoove any citizen of any country to become even somewhat familiar with this book. It is not a cold, heavy tome about dry/brittle politics, but a small book of 82 pages on how to understand who their leaders are - the good, the bad, and the ugly of how they got where they are and how they intend to stay there.Examples given in the book refer to the political climate during the Italian Renaissance in Machiavelli's lifetime (1469-1527), but are applicable to all countries in certainly the last 500 years. His theories are timeless and universal, because it examines the relationship between human beings and their desire for power - sometimes for the benefit and prosperity of the people, and sometimes....not.This is one of the first and, notoriously, the best book written on political thought since perhaps the ancient Greeks. Machiavelli does not take a position, he simply explains the inner workings of the political process. Which is why it is still read today, and most probably a standard text in universities worldwide.This is a small book of only 82 pages. As with many current and comparable books in this genre, a loquacious professor could stretch the same info into perhaps 820 pages. But Machiavelli wrote this book for ALL citizens of ALL countries, so they can better understand why and how good governance can flow from top to bottom or, in some cases, bottom to top.This is a well-translated book, highly readable for any reader, even those who may not be politically inclined but wonder why it is still being read 500 years after it was written.I highly recommend this book

I purchased this book to discuss with a friend. We've been studying humanism, and this book is a fine example of it. The Prince is based on Machiavelli's experience with Cesare Borgia, a tyrannical duke. Machiavelli articulates how to be a prince from a multitude of different angles.The Prince is a solid read for anyone interested in government.

It was a short and interesting read