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Philosophy

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli

With W. K. Marriott

Translated by W. K. Marriott

The classic treatise on how to tyrannize one’s subjects.

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First published
1513
Length
36,894 words
Reading time
About 2 hr 34 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

The Prince is a book that was controversial before it had even been sent to the printer. Written in vernacular Italian instead of Latin, dedicated to a member of one of the most powerful Italian families of the day, and only printed after Machiavelli’s death, this treatise on how to tyrannize effectively was considered shocking even by his contemporaries. The discussion of its morality that continues to this day gives us the modern-day word Machiavellian .

The book is organized into several sections, each one giving direction on the ruthless rule of principalities that Machiavelli based on both reading and personal experience. Despite its controversial nature, The Prince is often cited as one of the first examples of modern philosophical thought, and the “advice” contained within is still quoted as relevant today.

First published 1513; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 36,894 words arranged in 31 navigable sections.

The source metadata identifies Annotator: W. K. Marriott; Translator: W. K. Marriott.

About the author

Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) is described by Wikidata as Italian diplomat and political and military theorist (1469–1527), with citizenship or national association recorded as Republic of Florence.

Recorded occupations include writer, politician, historian, philosopher, political theorist, and military theorist. Languages recorded for Niccolò Machiavelli include Italian and Tuscan. The structured record associates Niccolò Machiavelli with High Renaissance. Wikidata lists The Prince, Discourses on Livy, and Capitoli among Niccolò Machiavelli's notable works. Open Library identifies The Prince as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 1044 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes The Prince under Niccolò Machiavelli's authorship.

1469–1527

Contributors

Annotator

W. K. Marriott

Translator

W. K. Marriott

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • Political science--Philosophy--Early works to 1800
  • Political ethics--Early works to 1800
  • State, The--Early works to 1800

Table of contents

Open reader
Show all 31 sections
  1. Introduction
  2. The Man and His Works
  3. The Prince
  4. Dedication
  5. I
  6. II
  7. III
  8. IV
  9. V
  10. VI
  11. VII
  12. VIII
  13. IX
  14. X
  15. XI
  16. XII
  17. XIII
  18. XIV
  19. XV
  20. XVI
  21. XVII
  22. XVIII
  23. XIX
  24. XX
  25. XXI
  26. XXII
  27. XXIII
  28. XXIV
  29. XXV
  30. XXVI
  31. Endnotes
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