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The Prince (Prohyptikon Value Classics)

4.7 out of 5 stars 20 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0981224411
ISBN-10: 0981224415
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Product Details

  • Series: Prohyptikon Value Classics
  • Paperback: 108 pages
  • Publisher: Prohyptikon Publishing Inc. (August 9, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0981224415
  • ISBN-13: 978-0981224411
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.3 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

Format: Paperback
This short textbook on how to rule a state is still the playbook for politics.

Looking in my Webster’s, I see the following definition of Machiavellianism:

"the political theory of Machiavelli; especially: the view that politics is amoral and that any means however unscrupulous can justifiably be used in achieving political power"

Until I’d read his book, this was all I knew of Machiavelli. His name is used only as a label for cunning, underhanded pragmatism, for the doctrine that the end justifies the means. It’s a sneer-word that we throw at those who have achieved their aims unfairly.

It’s true that Machiavelli does not sugar-coat his advice; he intended his work to be used by a real prince (he hoped it would be adopted by the Medicis), who would keep the manual in his council-chamber and not merely add it to the other volumes of his publicly visible library. It uses the plain, unvarnished language of the trusted cabinet adviser speaking in private, off the record. Statecraft is the most pragmatic of businesses; and this is a pragmatic book.

The core of Machiavelli’s message is this: if you wish to rule, then you must base your actions on the way people really are, and not on the way you wish they were. If you want to bring out the best in people, provide them with a secure, prosperous, well-governed state. It just so happens that to do this, the prince is obliged to engage in behavior that, in polite society, is condemned as immoral. He will need to dissemble, to deceive, to break faith, and to take preventive action against his enemies. If he fails to do these things properly, then he will soon be replaced by someone who does not so fail.
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Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I think I always envisioned Macchiavelli's famed Prince as some vitriol-laced, slightly scandalous book, written by a maniacally laughing super-villain.

That might have been fun, but the reality is much better. Put forth in simple (almost friendly!) terms, the book offers the lowdown on power - people who have it, people who don't, and people who want it. Really, it's all just good common sense. It's absolutely worth the read, both from a historical and educational standpoint.
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Delivered quickly, and brand new. I definitely recommend this book for anybody in business. I have my own business and I love books like this, it allows you to think differently than how we're taught. This and the art of war should both be mandatory for business owners and anyone in a corporate environment.
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This book arrived in new condition no blemishes. "The Prince" is a great read for anyone who is interested in military history or wishing to add a political attribute to their character for advancements in any area of life. Had this book several years ago but lost it , I am happy to have this book back in my library. Two thumbs up!
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This is the best political guide for political leaders, kings, despots, and authority figures of all kinds. You should read it, because i guarantee you that your political masters have read it, and try to apply its guidance every day. Short, readable, and amazing, every student or observer of political life should read this book.
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Format: Paperback
Excellent book!
I always heard good things said about this book. I, for no good reason, assumed that this book will be a philosophical discourse on duties of a ruler.

I opened this book with a presumption that I will not go beyond 20 pages. However, I was so intrigued that I completed this book in a single sitting. This is book is as much a treatise on the political management as a handbook on public administration.

After reading the book, I can't help but marvel at Machiavelli's acute observation, shrewdness and patriotism. His love for Italy is evident in almost every line.

Given that the book was written during the most tumultuous period of the italian history when statEs waged wars on other states, mercenaries are a common sight, loot and plunder abounded, Machiavelli, believed in a stable state. A state that can fend off external enemies and that can quell the internal quibbles.

He wants the ruler(prince) to be strong and impose his authority. According to Machiavelli, a powerful ruler should always think with his head than with his heart.

I liked Machiavelli's writing style; he used props like anecdotes and analogies with perfection. His writing strikes chord because all the doctrines stated in the book are not dogmatic and are the result of experiences he gained by observing his contemporaries and his study of history.
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By gnomik on September 4, 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
The book is in a very convenient format so it is nice to carry it with you and read it on the go. In fact, I found this book a kind of difficult but very thought-provoking and interesting. This is a kind of book every educated person must read.
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Format: Paperback
The Prince, a treatise by Niccolo Machiavelli, is quite simply a candid handbook on how to best rule a principality. Machiavelli wrote the treatise while imprisoned in order to coax Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, the ruler of Florence, into expanding his political power and taking over all of Italy, but interestingly enough, most of the principles mentioned are applicable to modern democratic society. His embittered definition of success is the control of the ruler over as many subjects as possible at whatever costs may be necessary, so when the treatise was published in 1532, it appalled Europeans and the term “Machiavellian” became synonymous with “cunningly deceitful”.

It is this cynical, unsympathetic, candid tone that makes the treatise so shocking, yet strangely intriguing. Machiavelli makes aberrant claims that, when first read, appear completely disgraceful. Yet he immediately provides ample support by using an excess of historical examples that make his points indisputable. For instance, Machiavelli claims, “it is much safer to be feared than loved” because men are generally “fickle”, “false”, “cowardly”, and “covetous” (Machiavelli 60). All of these descriptors of humanity hold negative connotations and communicate his cynical tone, which he uses to achieve his goal of writing a guide that is practical rather than idealistic. Upon first sight, this misanthropic view is deplorable, but he goes on to list four famous examples of men who strove for love and were betrayed because of it, including “the case of Scipio” , the Roman general whose army deserted him (Machiavelli 61).
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