Customer Reviews

The Prince: Second Edition

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This review was submitted on the web page presenting Mansfield's translation.

I have been using Wootton's translation of The Prince in a university program where the texts are set by the faculty. This year we changed to the Mansfield translation and I've requested that we return to Wootton's.

In his attempt to provide an "accurate" translation of the Italian, Mansfield made the mistake of many translators in overlooking the clarity of his English prose.

For example, where Wootton writes, "he increased the strength of one of the most powerful Italian states," Mansfield writes, "he . . . increased the power of a power in Italy." (15) There are other odd uses of diction in Mansfield, for example, where Wootton speaks of a "founder," Mansfield uses the word "introducer." (23) And though concise in places, Mansfield has a tendency to write long sentences, perhaps in imitation of the Italian, where Wootton is more to the point.

If you're still not convinced, compare the following passages:

Wootton: "So, too, with those who, having been private citizens, were made emperors of Rome because they had corrupted the soldiers. Such rulers are entirely dependent on the goodwill and good fortune of whoever has given them power. Good will and good fortune are totally unreliable and capricious."

Mansfield: ". . . as also those emperors were made who from private individual [sic] attained the empire through corrupting soldiers. These persons rest simply on the will and fortune of whoever has given a state to them, which are two very inconstant and unstable things."

Machiavelli was a moderately significant figure in Renaissance Florence at the time that city was busy shaping the essence of the modern world. His works (all of them, but especially the Prince) capture much of what is pivotal in this culture. The book is advice to princes on how to seize and hold power. Mostly, that means you need to trick people and use ruthless violence intelligently. (He suggests that, if you could invent something like the Catholic Church, you'd be in a specially good position to set up a rule that would draw a lot of allegiance and a lot of taxes, would have no responsibilities, and would never end.) It's great reading as literature and as history, and also incredibly subtle and insightful as an analysis of human psychology. Mostly, this work praises cunning intelligence; it is also written for the reader who possesses the same. Consequently, it is a book that requires real patience and attention if its real treasures are to be found. Mansfield's translation is, I believe, the best for allowing one to look for the inner depth of the book. The translation is inspired by the work of Leo Strauss, and, as is typical of Straussian translations, it is a translation that is extremely careful to reflect the subtleties of the language of the original in order to retain their complex intimations etc. This is the translation I use when I teach the book because of its precision and elegance. It also has helpful historical notes that provide some of the essential context that is necessary to understanding Machiavelli's words; (Machiavelli often, for example, describes some historical figure in a fashion which will suggest the opposite of his true point to the reader who does not take the trouble to learn the details of the context he is referring to, and Mansfield is helpful in supplying guides to the modern reader for what to study in order to get past these textual deceptions). Overall, this is an outstanding translation of one of the great books of Western culture. I recommend it highly.

Machiavelli was a moderately significant figure in Renaissance Florence at the time that city was busy shaping the essence of the modern world. His works (all of them, but especially the Prince) capture much of what is pivotal in this culture. The book is advice to princes on how to seize and hold power. Mostly, that means you need to trick people and use ruthless violence intelligently. (He suggests that, if you could invent something like the Catholic Church, you'd be in a specially good position to set up a rule that would draw a lot of allegiance and a lot of taxes, would have no responsibilities, and would never end.) It's great reading as literature and as history, and also incredibly subtle and insightful as an analysis of human psychology. Mostly, this work praises cunning intelligence; it is also written for the reader who possesses the same. Consequently, it is a book that requires real patience and attention if its real treasures are to be found. Mansfield's translation is, I believe, the best for allowing one to look for the inner depth of the book. The translation is inspired by the work of Leo Strauss, and, as is typical of Straussian translations, it is a translation that is extremely careful to reflect the subtleties of the language of the original in order to retain their complex intimations etc. This is the translation I use when I teach the book because of its precision and elegance. It also has helpful historical notes that provide some of the essential context that is necessary to understanding Machiavelli's words; (Machiavelli often, for example, describes some historical figure in a fashion which will suggest the opposite of his true point to the reader who does not take the trouble to learn the details of the context he is referring to, and Mansfield is helpful in supplying guides to the modern reader for what to study in order to get past these textual deceptions). Overall, this is an outstanding translation of one of the great books of Western culture. I recommend it highly.

This has to be one of the most innovative books ever written on leadership. Not only did The Prince turn the idea of being a leader on its head (most books up until this one focused on the virtues it took to be a prince), but it is also surprisingly comprehensive (Machiavelli touches on many subjects in just 80 pages), and restrained (Machiavelli says more than once that violence should only be used when there is no alternative). The danger comes in misinterpreting Machiavelli: using violence as a first and not a last alternative; and betraying people for no good reason, thinking it will not come back to haunt you.

Most of the issues in this book are still relevant today. After reading this book, you should be armed with what a lot of books take hundreds of pages to explain: why it's important to take bold stances; why a prince must embark on great undertakings; and why developing your decision making and judgement are the only ways to be a wise leader.

This little volume makes for some entertaining reading but it is not the supreme Renaissance literary or philosophical masterwork, as some would like us to believe. Based on admittedly sound insights in mass psychology and geopolitics, Machiavelli formulates some practical guidelines for autocratic rulers, helping them to seize power and to hold on to it. By no means the author's intention is to instill his target audience with cruelty and bad faith. His reasoning is thoroughly pragmatic in the sense that it outlines the implications of a particular course of action, substantiated by concrete examples from Machiavelli's own time and from Antiquity.

I would say that many observations are still relevant and applicable today. In that sense, The Prince is as good a book on leadership as you will find on the shelves under the Management heading today. As a management consultant, I was quite sensitive to the point that is made in two of the final sections of the book - A prince's personal staff' and 'How flatterers must be shunned' - about the relationship between the prince and his advisers. Machiavelli makes a very good point when he holds forth that "The choosing of ministers is a matter of no little importance for a prince; and their worth depends on the sagacity of the prince himself." In other words: a leader gets the advice that he deserves. If the consultancy profession has been taken under fire lately because of malpractices, charlatanism and greed, then this is to a significant extent rooted in the immature and opportunistic attitude of many clients vis-à-vis their advisers. If external consultants are drawn in to turn the odds in political battles or to relieve the client of responsibilities about decisions he ought to take himself, then, yes, you can be sure that the sharks will come and take their due. It's a matter of choice and vigilance. Machiavelli knew it all along.

(Review was based on George Ball's translation in the Penguin Classics series)

While there are many themes in this book, I think those three words convey the gist of THE PRINCE rather nicely.

Why use foreign armies and troops when it is so much more reliable and predictable to use your own? Why associate with more powerful entities when in the end they'll just treat you like a pawn? Why let counsel be dictated to you when the Prince should be the one asking for it?

In general I found that there were some good passages in this book, however I felt a lot of this to be common sense--at least it should be. Nor did I sense any of the evil undertones that people seem to sense when they hear the term "Machiavellian". To me this book came across as a political primer for up-and-coming Princes, with the end-chapter hope that one of them will heed Machiavelli's words and free Italy of the Barbarian threat.

While I can appreciate the literal-leaning efforts of the translator, the fact remains that this book is about 500 years old and chock-full with sentences that could have easily been cut in half by one more liberal. I also find it rather amusing when people argue the merits of one translation over the other, as if to say that there is such a thing is THE ONE, ULTIMATE translation. I personally believe there is no such thing, whether it is THE BIBLE, Dante's DIVINE COMEDY or Kant's CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON. "To translate is to betray," so the saying goes. Indeed, one should use MULTIPLE translations to gather a complete understanding of a work. One for the literal import and another for the readability.
So while I don't particularly like the readability of this edition, I shall hold onto it for its literal value.

But one thing that no translation can remedy is the fact that there are A LOT of references to nations, wars and persons, many of whom the average reader is not going to be familiar with. This, coupled with the ancient writing-style, makes this work even more difficult to grasp the first time through.

By itself, I don't find this edition particularly remarkable--unless you also need a map of Italy, an incomplete Chronology of Machiavelli's life, and two letters. However, in conjunction with a more readable translation, this book may give you a greater insight into Machiavellian political theory.

The book arrived within specified time, was in perfectly new condition, and the price was the best I've heard (I'm in grad school and the teacher also had comparisons from undergrad attempts to get the book for cheap).

Machiavelli wrote the prince inspired by Cesar Borgia, but also after observing human behaviour for many years. He gives advice according to how things worked during his period of time...And surprisingly enough, his advices can be applied today.
He gives a realistic point of view on humankind, perhaps a bit dark since we humans are "evil" by nature according to him. Simple, concise, this book is a guide to everyone who is willing to accept reality as it is.

This has always been one of my favorite political science books, and this hardcover edition is a great buy for a book collection or just the casual reader.

thank yo so much!
it's almost brand-new one!
i like it a lot.
i'm sure i will choose your stuff next time!