The Prince : Vintage Classics

A refreshingly accessible new translation of this timely and dynamic classic work about the corrupting effects of power

Machiavelli's highly influential treatise on political power - translated by Peter Constantine

'It is far safer to be feared than loved...'

The Prince shocked Europe on publication with its advocacy of ruthless tactics for gaining absolute power and its abandonment of conventional morality. Niccolo Machiavelli drew on his own experience of office under the turbulent Florentine republic, rejecting traditional values of political theory and recognising the complicated, transient nature of political life. Machiavelli made his name notorious for centuries with The Prince, his clever and cynical work about power relationships. The key themes of this influential, and ever timely, writer are that adaptability is the key to success and that effective leadership is sometimes only possible at the expense of moral standards.