Niccolò Machiavelli Books

Based on Machiavelli's own first-hand experience as an emissary of the Florentine Republic to the courts of Europe, 'The Prince' analyses the usually violent ways by which men seize, retain and lose political power.

Machiavelli's commentary on Livy's history of Rome sets out his fundamental preference for a republican state. This translation is richly annotated, providing the contemporary reader with sufficient historical, linguistic, and political information to understand and interpret the revolutionary affirmations Machiavelli made, based on the historical evidence he found in Livy.

Written in Machiavelli's characteristically lucid and terse style, Life of Castruccio Castracani is a revealing account of the political ferment and fractious factionalism of fourteenth-century Italy.

The description for this book, Florentine Histories, will be forthcoming.

The Art of War (Italian: Dell'arte della guerra) is a treatise by the Italian Renaissance political philosopher and historian Niccolo Machiavelli. The format of The Art of War is a socratic dialogue. The purpose, declared by Lord Fabrizio Colonna (perhaps Machiavelli's persona) at the outset, "To honor and reward virtu, not to have contempt for poverty, to esteem the modes and orders of military discipline, to constrain citizens to love one another, to live without factions, to esteem less the private than the public good." To these ends, Machiavelli notes in his preface, the military is like the roof of a palazzo protecting the contents. Written between 1519 and 1520 and published the following year, it was Machiavelli's only historical or political work printed during his lifetime, though he was appointed official historian of Florence in 1520 and entrusted with minor civil duties."

A collection that discusses the dangers of conspiracies and the component parts of an army. It also gives advice on tactics and discipline, and explains why promises made under force ought not to be kept.

Approaching a liberal arts tradition in the classroom, across the curriculum, and beyond, The McGraw-Hill Reader offers rich and diverse readings in education, the social sciences, business and economics, the humanities, and the sciences. This new eleventh edition offers a new focus on reading and composing across various media; it includes over 100 selections from prominent thinkers and writers; each essay was chosen to provoke critical thought and encourage effective writing.

A collection of speeches given by Machiavelli on the topic of government and leadership, including his famous commentary on Livy. The work provides a unique insight into the political theories of the Italian Renaissance and remains a classic of political philosophy.