Shelfari: The Site for Books & ReadersShelfari Logo

Machiavelli's The Prince
 

Machiavelli's The Prince

by Niccolo Machiavelli, William J. Connell

When Lorenzo de' Medici seized control of the Florentine Republic in 1512, he summarily fired the Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Signoria and set in motion a fundamental change in the way we think about politics. The person who held the aforementioned office with the tongue-twisting title was none other than Niccolò Machiavelli, who, suddenly finding himself out of a job after 14... (read more)

Top tags: philosophy,  politics,  classic,  history,  nonfiction (all tags)

Readers

Groups

  • History - Fiction Discussion Group
  • libraries and librarians Discussion Group
  • World Lit Discussion Group
  • What are you reading? Discussion Group
  • The Shelfari Reading Room Discussion Group
  • International Relations Discussion Group

Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
dickensfan
  • Rated 5 stars

“Possibly one of the most important political tracts ever written, Machiavelli's careful instructions about the do's and don'ts of the clever, wily ruler retains a remarkable freshness almost 500 years after it was written. This is a must-read.”

dickensfan’s full review »
more reviews »

Didn’t Like It

Melissa C
  • Rated 2 stars

“This was really hard to get through and I didn't really agree with the subject matter so it was only so-so for me”

Melissa C’s full review »
more reviews »
Community:
  • Rated 3.778417 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.484375 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Vincent W

    vincent w said:

    “I really agree with therone shellman!
    This is an interesting comparison you make with the King Arthur's (and associates) adventures, with the same sense of philosophy (and of symbolism, to my mind) in both styles of novels.
    On the one hand, the medieval literature (Arthur/Perceval/Lancelot/...) which brings learnings about the difference between errors and faults, about wise decisions and how to recognize human qualities (particularly thinking about the book of Perceval);
    on the other hand, the political novel, ordered by one of the rulers of the world, an open-minded person, aware of the importance of his decisions.
    I think "The Prince" is not only a novel about how to conquer and rule the world (indeed, it is widely about how to defeat one's challenger). It is a really good philosophical novel, a kind of guide for important decisions in one's life as well as conflicts solving strategies, taking advantage of your possibilities, not wasting occasions.

    "The Prince" is an atemporal work so that it will probably still be of use in the next centuries, although it is also a good reminder of the historical context of that time.”

    posted Monday, July 7 2008
  • Peregrine Falcon

    peregrine falcon said:

    “Upon reading this book, I realized the politics and the way to conduct in serious political arena. It is revolutionary.”

    posted Thursday, June 12 2008
  • Publisher & Author Therone Shellman

    publisher & author therone shellman said:

    “I read this book for the first time when I was 19yrs old, which was 17yrs ago. Through this book I learned that leadership is about making oneself one with the cause and people. In this book Machiavelli shows that in his time an effective ruler was one who saw themselves as being one with the land and people. This philosophy was old and practiced before, but never put on paper. If you read about King Arthur, you'll understand this was the riddle and philosophy behind the Holy Grail. Going back into African/Egyptian history you'll learn that the pharaohs equated themselves and life as being one with the land, people etc. He does speak about physical warfare, but for the most part that is not the main theme of this work. If one follows most of the doctrines outlined than you'll win mentally, turn potential enemies into allies just by being smarter than them. This work is more about how to position yourself mentally by utilizing all the resources around you to your advantage than physical warfare. In this context it's people and places.”

    posted Monday, May 12 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • Stephanie G

    stephanie g said:

    “It's the perfect manual on how to deal with the people you dislike and want harmed!
    An absolutely brillian eye-opener on what politics (diplomacy) is all about!”

    posted Sunday, May 11 2008
  • Tamim A

    tamim a said:

    “ هالكتاب ميزتو انو اعطى رؤية للعالم متل ما هو بعكس معظم الكتب يلي بتحكي كيف العالم مفترض انو يكون يعني ميكافيلي أخد الطبيعة البشرية متل ما هب و عالج الأمور على أساسها مش كما يفترض أن تكون ”

    posted Friday, December 21 2007 ( | view 1 reply )
© 2008 Tastemakers, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy