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  • Published: 26 September 2019
  • ISBN: 9780241439784
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $27.99

The Prince




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

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Simon Callow, actor and director, known for his roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, and the BBC adaptation of A Christmas Carol.


As a diplomat in turbulent fifteenth-century Florence, Niccolò Machiavelli knew how quickly political fortunes could rise and fall. The Prince, his tough-minded, pragmatic handbook on how power really works, made his name notorious and has remained controversial ever since. How can a leader be strong and decisive, yet still inspire loyalty in his followers? When is it necessary to break the rules? Is it better to be feared than loved? Examining regimes and their rulers the world over and throughout history, from Roman Emperors to renaissance Popes, from Hannibal to Cesare di Borgia, Machievalli answers all these questions in a work of realpolitik that still has shrewd political lessons for today.

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was born in Florence, and served the Florentine republic as a secretary and second chancellor, as ambassador and foreign policy-maker. When the Medici family returned to power in 1512 he was suspected of conspiracy, imprisoned and tortured and forced to retire from public life. His most famous work, The Prince, was written in an attempt to gain favour with the Medicis and return to politics.

If you enjoyed The Prince, you might like Plato's Republic, also available in Penguin Classics.

'A gripping work, and a gripping translation'
Nicholas Lezard, Guardian

  • Published: 26 September 2019
  • ISBN: 9780241439784
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $27.99

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On Sparta
Love
Annals
Military Dispatches

About the author

Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was born in Florence. He served the Florentine Republic as a secretary and second chancellor, but was expelled from public life when the Medici family returned to power in 1512. His most famous work, The Prince, was written in an attempt to gain favour with the Medicis and return to politics.

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a Florentine statesman who was later forced out of public life. He then devoted himself to studying and writing political philosophy, history, fiction, and drama.

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