A New Perspective on Machiavelli’s Practical Ideas and Fuller Dimensions

Since its posthumous publication in 1532, Machiavelli’s treatise on claiming and holding power has been synonymous with deception, ruthlessness, and even brutality. History generally regards the author of The Prince as a one-note schemer and callous plotter. Some contemporary critics even call him a satirist.

In this newly introduced and annotated edition of Machiavelli’s most enduring work, scholar of esotericism Mitch Horowitz elucidates the greater spectrum of the pragmatic philosopher’s ideas to reveal a figure concerned not just with amoral cunning but possessed of standards and ideals rarely appreciated in modern assessments.

“A fresh look,” Mitch writes in his introduction, “often reveals the unexpected. Machiavelli imbued The Prince with a greater sense of purpose and ethics than is commonly understood…I believe that some who encounter The Prince today will recognize subtleties missing from the value-free rationalism prominent in some precincts of our culture.”

Mitch’s new assessment and chapter notes highlight practical lessons that give The Prince its immortality. Not all of Machiavelli’s advice remains pertinent or possible in today’s world; nor would most audiences wish to act on all of it. But, as Mitch explores, the political philosopher’s overarching principles warrant careful scrutiny and evaluation.

This unabridged edition of The Prince is drawn from N.H. Thomson’s 1910 translation, published as volume 36 of The Harvard Classics. Antiquated spellings and grammar are updated. Appendices reproduce aphorisms from both The Prince and Machiavelli’s seminally important Discourses on Livy (1531). Pull quotes emphasize key points and Mitch summarizes takeaways following each chapter.