The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli, Mint Editions (Contribution by)

Overview

With a mix of both respectable and immoral advice, The Prince is a frank analysis on political power. Separated into four sections, The Prince is both a guide to obtain power and an explanation on the aspects that affect it. The first section discusses the types of principalities. According to Machiavelli, there are four different types—hereditary, mixed, new and ecclesiastical. While defining each type, Machiavelli also discusses the implications of each. Next, The Prince identifies types of armies. There are hired armies, which Machiavelli himself expressed distrust of, loaned troops (also known as auxiliaries), native, or a mix of the three. With intriguing contrasts, the next section reveals the most effective behavior and characteristics for a ruler. While it is advised to be stingy over generous, cruel over merciful, and champions dishonesty over inconvenience, The Prince also stresses the importance of being a well-like ruler with an enhanced reputation, creating a complex character to portray. Finally, to highlight why the aforementioned sections are necessary and accurate, the last section of The Prince discusses the political state of 16th century Italy. With examples of both effective and ineffective policies and rulers, The Prince provides intriguing philosophical and political discourse as well as a detailed look at the innerworkings of the Italian government during the Renaissance.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli introduces an unprecedented political analysis, creating a fascinating discussion on Renaissance politics while inviting readers to consider the evidence of Machiavelli’s studies present in modern-day government. Machiavelli’s work has paved the way for and shaped political parties that are still in practice even in a democratic society, consequently solidifying The Prince as an ever-present analysis of political science.

This edition of Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince is presented in a modern font and features a new, eye-catching cover design. Providing both a riveting look into Renaissance politics and a relevant analysis of power, The Prince by Machiavelli possess a duality that preserves its influence.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781513220437
Publisher:	Mint Editions
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Series:	Mint Editions (Historical Documents and Treaties)
Pages:	122
Sales rank:	1,099,176
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian diplomat, philosopher and writer during the Renaissance era. Machiavelli led a politically charged life, often depicting his political endorsements in his writing. He led his own militia, and believed that violence made a leader more effective. Though he held surprising endorsements, Machiavelli is considered to be the father of political philosophy and political science, studying governments in an unprecedented manner that has forever shaped the field.

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)

Editorial Reviews

[Machiavelli] can still engage our attention with remarkable immediacy, and this cannot be explained solely by the appeal of his ironic observations on human behaviour. Perhaps the most important thing is the way he can compel us to reflect on our own priorities and the reasoning behind them; it is this intrusion into our own defenses that makes reading him an intriguing experience. As a scientific exponent of the political art Machiavelli may have had few followers; it is as a provocative rhetorician that he has had his real impact on history.” –from the Introduction by Dominic Baker-Smith

From the Publisher

[Machiavelli] demands to be read—plainly and boldly, but also cautiously.”

Sixteenth Century Journal

[Machiavelli] can still engage our attention with remarkable immediacy, and this cannot be explained solely by the appeal of his ironic observations on human behavior. Perhaps the most important thing is the way he can compel us to reflect on our own priorities and the reasoning behind them; it is this intrusion into our own defenses that makes reading him an intriguing experience.”

Dominic Baker-Smith

There is something stimulating in Machiavelli’s forthrightness. Reading him, we are brought face to face, as nowhere else so vividly, with a question that few philosophers had dared to discuss: is statesmanship bound by morality?”

author of The Story of Civilization Will Durant

A publishing bull's-eye.

The Scotsman

Richardson is speaking one-to-one. He is personal, intimate, confidential. That is at it should be.

The Guardian

This is the book that made the author's name into a dark symbol of unalloyed power and sinister political motives. That reputation, though, is somewhat undeserved, and this new recording brings fresh insights and interpretations to the work. Narrator Ian Richardson does a magnificent job with this classic text. He reads with such focus and mellifluous beauty that we must remind ourselves that the book is over 500 years old, and not a contemporary political tract. Richardson's diction and pacing are legendary from his long career on stage and in films, and he applies these talents effortlessly, emphasizing key phrases, speaking conversationally, and making it appear as if he’s reading to only one person at a time. If you've never read THE PRINCE, here is a wonderful opportunity to do so. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2008 - AudioFile