The Prince: Introduction by Dominic Baker-Smith [Hardcover]

 

That Machiavelli’s name has become synonymous with cold-eyed political calculation only heightens the intrinsic fascination ofThe Prince–the world’s preeminent how-to manual on the art of getting and keeping power, and one of the literary landmarks of the Italian Renaissance. Written in a vigorous, straightforward style that reflects its author’s realism, this treatise on states, statecraft, and the ideal ruler is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how human society actually works.

“[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-SmithPeter Constantine, winner of the PEN Translation Prize and a National Translation Award, has earned wide acclaim for his translation ofThe Undiscovered Chekhovand of the complete works of Isaac Babel, as well as for his Modern Library translations, which includeThe Essential Writings of Machiavelli,Gogol’sTaras Bulba,Voltaire’sCandide,and Tolstoy’sThe Cossacks.
 
Albert Russell Ascoliis Gladys Arata Terrill Distinguished Professor of Italian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and was awarded the Rome Prize for study at the American Academy in Rome.Niccolò Machiavelli to His Magnificence Lorenzo de’ Medici1

Those who wish to win the favor of a prince will generally approach him with gifts of what they vlĂ&