The Prince (Deluxe Hardbound Edition) (Fingerprint Classics)

One of the first books I read for fun (as opposed to academically) was The Prince. At the time it came across as crisp & pithy, but more like a manual for politics than a living, breathing text (similar to Sun Tzu's The Art of War).The fantastic thing about this Audio book is that it brings the cadences of The Prince to life. Whereas the book is pretty much dredged for advice & the anecdotes are disgarded, Ian Richardson's presence forces you to engage with his story & with the fascinatingly varied life of Machiavelli. As the other reviewer has said "the late Ian Richardson of House of Cards fame is exactly the right voice for this piece". I would add that his qualities as an actor bring clarity & vivid detail to what is otherwise a political textbook.And what did Machiavelli live through? Some of the most Interesting times (in all senses!) in Medieval Italian politics, when the Pope, Venetia, France & Spain all vied for dominance of Italy (& all eventually failed in some regard). It is in this backdrop provides fruitful material for Machiavelli to dissect. At each stage Machiavelli states how the states work, what things they did right & what failures lead to their downfall.As a memorable example, there was the French, who had recently freed themselves of the English & were one of two dominant powers on the Continent. In the early 1500's they invaded Italy (at the invitation of the Pope) & humbled the Venetians. Crucially, they also proved initially popular & were well set to subjudgate 2/3's of Italy. Then they made their major mistake of inviting Spain to split the Kingdom of Naples.Couple this with their building of Forts, rather than winning over the populus & you can quickly see (through Machiavelli's incisive analysis) why France lost its immense gains as quickly as it had gained them.And the best part was the ending, where he appeals for a united Italy. In the book this comes over rather plainly, but with Ian Richardson's compelling reading, you really feel the depth of feeling that Machiavelli wished to convey.My one criticism is that the intense analysis is not ideal if you're listening in the car. To understand the analysis fully it needs your full attention (which may not be possible if you're doing something else at the time). However, this is relatively trivial since you can get the jist of it & read the book itself if you want more detail. There is also nothing to stop you purely listening to it for pleasure - it is only 3 CD's after all...So, definitely a worthwhile purchase & a valuable insight into the passion & intensity of one of history's greatest political commentators. If you like this particular one, then I thoroughly recommend Dawkins' reading of On The Origin of Species. It is always good to hear dry non-fiction brought to life by a narrator.Why?Only a true Machiavellian would understand...

This is a great narration, clear, consistent for the most part (with possible exception of chapter 24, in which there is a real change in quality, although this dip in quality is not for the entire chapter or remaining chapters), there may be some mispronunciation of Italian names and place names, I am not sure myself, what I did notice was not that significant. There are 32 or there about sections to the MP3 CD which makes it sufficient to fill a number of journeys if you are listening to this in a car during a commute as I was. I think this is excellent and at a really good affordable price too.The content, well, the content is by Niccolo Machavelli, its THE book that he's known for, even if he did write narratives on warfare, the history of the Roman republics (referenced in the first chapter of this book as he explains he dealt with the topic of principalities here and the alternatives elsewhere). In this book Machavelli writes a guide to realpolitik and statecraft for a prince, this is how to seize power, exercise power and keep a hold of power for posterity. The central point of the book is similar to that of Mandeville's Fable of The Bees, that other authors writing about virtues, good character, good conduct are all misleading and ruinous, at least for anyone in public office or government. Instead, the business of government is perfidious mendacity, no designs for improvement are wise.According to Machavelli people are wicked and can not be made otherwise by how they are governed, though they could well become worse by being indulged too much. He has a lot of really great one liners to illustrate it, such as men being quicker to forget their fathers than their inheritance/legacies if they are lost, if any injury should be done to anyone it should be great enough that you need to fear revenge.There are interesting meditations on fortune, who can command fortune, who cant, Machavelli tries to explain how all is not fortune, the actions people take matter, he believes following his recommendations matter, but also that fortune has a role to play too. I have read elsewhere this has something to do with being a virtuoso, being ready to "ride that wave" or use opportunities as they present themselves.Finally, a big part of Machavelli's idea is the "great men" theory of history, rather than developments in production, distribution, technology it is the greatness of leaders and governors that matters. It is stories of the great men of history that Machavelli uses to illustrate all his points, in the final chapters he describes his archetypical Prince and supplies a number of witty quotations. These are excellent and are worth the cover price alone, I could listen and relisten to them alone and have tried to commit a few to memory.

It is a nice book but my copy arrived damaged in the corner with the pages stuck together in the corners, the guilded paper has turned dusty so when I close the book loads of dust comes flying out of it. It was sealed in a plastic wrapper but that had been damaged also.

Nice book

Little disappointed

A short form book that reads like a self-help guide for a medieval CEO experiencing a midlife crisis!Machiavelli said "it's better to be feared than loved", a phrase that aptly describes my chihuahua to a tee, so much so I considered checking under his bed for a stashed copy.But in all seriousness this book is a 10/10 and a great read for anyone looking to develop their strategic thinking, strengthen your resume or develop leadership skills.

A classic which is often quoted from.Not a huge book but covers many situations for medieval royalty.Succinct descriptions so that the reader understands the concept and logic.An interesting read.

Niccolo Machiavelli's book was written in the mid 16th century; this is a later translation from the 17th century converted into ebook format. There are a couple of issues with the format on the Kindle; some missing page breaks, and some odd sentence breaks. The ebook version also includes a couple of additional items written by Machiavelli later in his life."The Prince" of the title is merely a generic label for a leader, rather than a given level of nobility. The main book is a study of the concept of leadership, and particularly the application of politics within a nation or state. It is based upon a very careful study of the leaders of the time, especially within Italy and from the classical period of Greece and Rome. Although written some 500 years ago, most of the precepts can be seen to have been relevant throughout the intervening period and in many ways are still pertinent today.In fact some of the material could equally be applied within large organisations; examine the biographies of some of the most famous business leaders and entrepeneurs, and you will see many of the factors that enabled them to rise up being the same that Machiavelli identified as being desirable in a great leader. It does perhaps portray a certain level of cynicism and certainly indicates the ruthlessness that is required to become a political figure; and it is this that has made the name of Machiavelli synonymous with political intrigue.In many ways, this book is to political governance, what Sun-Tzu's "Art of War" was to the concept of military leadership. Careful study will reveal a lot of valuable advice and information; and although not the easiest book to read, the end result is well worth the effort.

Amazing that the arguments still hold up, logic hasn't changed over the centuries.Machiavelli has an unfair reputation based primarily on "It's better to be feared than loved" if you have to choose. But he is clear that you should not be hated. Who is feared but not hated? A competent and powerful leader. Love of a leader he says is unreliable, they may stop loving you the next week, or the next, and if they ever do you are done, but being "feared" but not hated is more reliable. Especially in 16th century Italy.

The Prince is a sharp, timeless exploration of political power that still feels surprisingly relevant today. Machiavelli’s clear, direct style makes this classic both thought‑provoking and genuinely enjoyable to read, especially if you’re interested in political strategy or leadership philosophy.

perfect condition

amazing

Le livre com Tel est un chef d'oeuvre d'un homme d'état extraordinaire. J'ai acheté 3 éditions differentes - une pour garder et 2 pour offrir. J'ai comparer les traditions et il faut que j'avoue que je regrette de ne pas pouvoir le lire dans la langue originale. Meme la plus petite différence d'interprétation des differentes traducteurs peut changer la conception du texte.