The Prince, and Other Pieces

By Niccolò Machiavelli and machiavelli niccolo

Book Overview

The Prince and Other Writings, by Niccolo Machiavelli, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences-biographical, historical, and literary-to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. One of history's greatest political philosophers, Niccol? Machiavelli is notorious for his treatise The Prince, which has become a cornerstone of modern political theory. Written in 1513 and published in 1532, after Machivelli's death, The Prince immediately provoked controversy that has continued unabated to this day. Defining human nature as inherently selfish, Machiavelli proposes that social conflict and violence are natural phenomena that help determine the ablest, most versatile form of government. Asserting that idealism has no place in the political arena, The Prince primarily addresses a monarch's difficulties in retaining authority. Considered the first expression of political realism, it has often been accused of advocating a political philosophy in which "the end justifies the means." Indeed the emphasis in The Prince on practical success, at the expense even of traditional moral values, earned Machiavelli a reputation for ruthlessness, deception, and cruelty. Many scholars contend, however, that the author's pragmatic views of ethics and politics reflected the realities of his time, as exemplified by the Medici family of Florence. Debates about Machiavelli's theories are as lively today as they were 450 years ago, but no one questions the importance of his fundamental contribution to Western political thought. This newly translated edition also includes Machiavelli's Letter to Francesco Vettori, The Life of Castruccio Castracani, and excerpts from the Discourses on Livy. Wayne A. Rebhorn, Celanese Centennial Professor of English at the University of Texas, has authored numerous studies of Renaissance European literature. His Foxes and Lions: Machiavelli's Confidence Men won the Howard R. Marraro Prize of the Modern Language Association of America in 1990.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593083289
• ISBN13: 9781593083281
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.8" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Bad translation, tough to get through

Kind of overrated in my opinion; I just couldn't get into it.

The service is fine.

The service is fine and the book is in good hands even if it is marked "used", looks quite new. I do enjoy it. Thanks

Call a spade a spade

You can disagree with Machiavelli's take on life and politics all you like, but you have to agree that his writings are a must read for anyone even remotely interested in political philosophy. Of course, I will never be able to read the original works (until I learn Italian), but I think the translator does a great job here. The chapter end notes are quite extensive and useful too. Read it!

It is safer to be feared than loved

This book, which was expertly translated by Professor Wayne Rebhorn of the University of Texas at Austin, provides an excellent view of the seminal work of a Renaissance scholar: Niccolo Machiavelli. Professor Rebhorn also included a few of the lesser known works of Signor Machiavelli: The Letter to Francesco Vettori, The Life of Castruccio Castracani, along with selected excerpts from the Discourses on Livy. Machiavelli's frequently quoted line, "It is better to be feared than loved," actually has a somewhat different meaning that is not always seen in modern times. " ... è molto più sicuro essere temuto che amato, quando si abbi a mancare dell'uno de' dua." "It is much safer to be feared than loved, when one has to lack either of the two." Which is my own translation. As Professor Rebhorn mentioned in a lengthy and informative introduction, sometimes the translator is a traitor (traduttore tradire). Dr. Rebhorn went to great lengths to explain his own philosophy of translation, and his efforts to properly convey the Renaissance thoughts of Machiavelli into present day English. As a life-long student of the Italian language, I appreciated the detailed nature of Professor Rebhorn's premise to make the language of Machiavelli more understandable. Especially to those of us who are not Renaissance scholars. "The Prince" should be required reading for all students of the Renaissance. As you will see, Machiavelli was more than a political figure. He was a great historian, diplomat, and son of the Republic of Florence. Thank you for the opportunity to review this intriguing book.

An excellent edition of an important philosophical work.

The term "Machiavellian" is frequently used to describe ruthlessness and brutality in a leader, and most people who have read about Machiavelli but have not actually read Machiavelli's own works assume that he believed "the ends justify the means." However, this is a common misperception. His actual words are: "[. . .] in the actions of all men, and especially of princes, where there is no court of appeal, one looks at the outcome" (pg. 77). He does not, here or anywhere else in his writing, attempt to provide any moral justification for ruthlessness, but merely says that a leader will always be judged by his people based on the end result of his actions. He was very pragmatic in his outlook on princely rule, and sought to explain the actions that would and would not be effective in gaining and maintaining the rule of a nation.Another point of some confusion is the saying that "it is better to be feared than to be loved." Again, this is not quite what Machiavelli meant. His actual words are: "[. . .] there arises a dispute: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the contrary. The reply is that one should like to be both the one and the other, but as it is difficult to bring them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved if one of the two has to be lacking" (pg. 72). It is also noteworthy to point out that the word "fear" at the time Machiavelli was alive was less synonymous with its modern meaning than it was with the word "respect." He was saying that a prince's throne is more secure if he is feared/respected but not loved than it is if he is loved but not feared/respected. Machiavelli does not say that a prince who is feared is the moral better of one who is loved."The Prince" is a truly fascinating work of philosophy, describing the ideal conduct (in mechanical and not moral terms) of an effective sovereign. Despite the fact that it is entirely concerned with the government of principalities, Machiavelli himself was a republican, and believed that the most effective form of government would combine elements of a principality, an aristocracy, and a democracy. His motivation to write "The Prince" came from his desire to ingratiate himself with the Medici family, the ruling power in Florence at the time, and also from his belief that only a single, strong ruler would be powerful enough to unify and liberate a then-factionalized Italy.The book is not an easy read, but is more accessible than, say, Rousseau's "Social Conract" (I'm not equating the topics of these two books, but just comparing literary style). Machiavelli tends to use very long, complex sentences, and it's easy to get derailed before reaching the end of one. Some of his sentences easily take up a third of a page. This particular translation has made things a little simpler, and in the introduction the translator admits to breaking up some of Machiavelli's longer sentences into multiple shorter ones. The translator also includes helpful notes to supplement th