The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli

Humanities Press, 1996 - Political ethics - 131 pages

The claim that Machiavelli was the first modern thinker is out of tune with the latest insights of economic, social, and gender historians, which is why Paul Sonnino has prepared this new, up-to-date edition of Machiavelli's The Prince. In his lucid introduction, Sonnino argues that Machiavelli had much more in common with the late medieval world in which he was living than he did with the modern world that had not yet emerged. It is an argument we need to resolve if we wish to arrive at a definition of modernity. Scrupulously faithful to the wording of the original Italian, Sonnino's translation is extremely daring in its transposition of phrases and clauses, so that the text flows as passionately in English as it does in the original. The authority of this edition is fully supported by its scholarly annotations and its useful maps. Here is the edition of The Prince that finally confronts the myth of Machiavelli's modernity.

Contents

• Select Bibliography: 25
• Lorenzo de Medici: 33
• Why the Kingdom of Darius Which: 45

About the author

Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Italy. He was a political philosopher, statesman, and court advisor. Starting out as a clerk, he quickly rose in the ranks because he understood balance of power issues involved in many of his diplomatic missions. His political pursuits quickly ended after he was imprisoned by the Medici family. He is best known for The Prince, his guide to power attainment and cutthroat leadership. He also wrote poetry and plays, including a comedy named Mandragola. He died on June 21, 1527 at the age of 58.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Prince
• Author: Niccolò Machiavelli
• Translated by: Paul Sonnino
• Contributor: Paul Sonnino
• Edition: revised
• Publisher: Humanities Press, 1996
• Original from: the University of Michigan
• Digitized: Jul 23, 2010
• ISBN: 0391039407, 9780391039407
• Length: 131 pages