The Prince

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli
The Prince

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli

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Overview

Often cited as one of the first works in modern political philosophy, The Prince is a political treatise that relates author Niccolo Machiavelli’s theories on state-building and rulership. Drawing on his experience as a diplomat, Machiavelli discusses the important policies for both republican free-states and hereditary princedoms, and outlines the most successful political tactics, many of which remain relevant into modern times.

Controversial at the time of its writing in 1513, The Prince was not officially printed until 1532, almost two decades later and five years after Niccolo Machiavelli’s death. At the time, the ideas put forth in the treatise directly conflicted with dominant religious doctrines, and negative connotations surrounding the term “Machiavellian” continue to endure. Nonetheless, The Prince has influenced rulers including King Henry VIII and Catherine de Medici, and political philosophers such as Francis Bacon and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and has become one of the most widely read works of political philosophy in history.

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Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781443435390
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Publication date: 02/25/2014
Sold by: HARPERCOLLINS
Format: eBook
Pages: 108
Sales rank: 819,475
File size: 455 KB

About the Author

Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian politician, diplomat, founding father of political science, and author of the preeminent political treatise, The Prince. Born in Florence, Italy, Machiavelli held many government posts over his lifetime and often took leading roles in important diplomatic missions. During his time visiting other countries and nation states, Machiavelli was exposed to the politics of figures like Ceasare Borgia and King Louis XII, experiences which would inform his writings on state-building and politics. Machiavelli’s political career came to an abrupt end when the Medici overthrew Florence, and he was held as a prisoner under the new regime. Tortured for a short time, he was released without admitting to any crime or treason. At this point, Machiavelli retired and turned to intellectual and philosophical pursuits, producing his two major works, The Prince and Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livy. He died in 1527 at the age of 58.

Read an Excerpt

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Seventeenth Chapter: Concerning Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved Than Feared

...Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed, they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life, and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince, who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or by nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails....

Twenty-First Chapter: How a Prince Should Conduct Himself So as to Gain Renown

...A prince is also respected when he is either a true friend or a downright enemy, that is to say, when, without any reservation, he declares himself in favour of one party against the other; which course will always be more advantageous than standing neutral; because if two of your powerful neighbours come to blows, they are of such a character that, if one of them conquers, you have either to fear him or not. In either case it will always be more advantageous for you to declare yourself and to make war strenously; because, in the first case, if you do not declare yourself, you will invariably fall a prey to the conqueror, to the pleasure and satisfaction of his who has been conquered, and you will have no reasons to offer, nor anything to protect or to shelter you. Because he who conquers does not want doubtful friends who will not aid him in the time of trial; and he who loses will not harbour you because you did not willingly, sword in hand, court his fate....

Translation by: W.K. Marriott

Table of Contents

Map
Introduction
Translator's Note
Selected Books
Machiavelli's Principal Works
Letter to the Magnificent Lorenzo de Medici ..... 1
I: How many kinds of principality there are and the ways in which they are acquired ..... 5
II: Hereditary principalities ..... 5
III: Composite principalities ..... 6
IV :Why the kingdom of Darius conquered by Alexander did not rebel against his successors after his death ..... 13
V: How cities or principalities which lived under their own laws should be administered after being conquered ..... 16
VI: New principalities acquired by one's own arms and prowess ..... 17
VII: New principalities acquired with the help of fortune and foreign arms ..... 20
VIII: Those who come to power by crime ..... 27
IX: The constitutional principality ..... 31
X: How the strength of every principality should be measured ..... 34
XI: Ecclesiastical principalities ..... 36
XII: Military organization and mercenary troops ..... 39
XIII: Auxiliary, composite, and native troops ..... 43
XIV: How a prince should organize his militia ..... 47
XV: The things for which men, and especially princes, are praised or blamed ..... 49
XVI: Generosity and parsimony ..... 51
XVII: Cruelty and compassion; and whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse ..... 53
XVIII: How princes should honour their word ..... 56
XIX: The need to avoid contempt and hatred ..... 58
XX: Whether fortresses and many of the other present-day expedients to which princes have recourse are useful or not ..... 67
XXI: How a prince must act to win honour ..... 71
XXII: A prince's personal staff ..... 75
XXIII: How flatterers must be shunned ..... 76
XXIV: Why the Italian princes have lost their states ..... 78
XXV: How far human affairs are governed by fortune, and how fortune can be opposed ..... 79
XXVI: Exhortation to liberate Italy from the barbarians ..... 82
Glossary of Proper Names ..... 86
Notes ..... 99

What People are Saying About This

John M. Najemy

I still consider Atkinson's translation of The Prince the best of the many . . . out there, especially with its extensive and extraordinarily valuable commentary. (John M. Najemy, Professor of History, Cornell University, 2007)

Mario Domandi

This edition of the The Prince has three distinct and disparate objectives: to provide a fresh and accurate translation; to analyze and find the roots of Machiavelli's thought; and to collect relevant extracts from other works by Machiavelli and some contemporaries, to be used to illuminate and explicate the text. The objectives are all reached with considerable and admirable skill. The reader senses Professor Atkinson's empathy and feeling for even the tiniest movements in Machiavelli's mind. Professor Atkinson has done a great service to students and teachers of Machiavelli, who should certainly welcome this as the most useful edition of The Prince in English. (Mario Domandi, Italica, 1978)

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