Written in the early sixteenth century and printed in 1532, this treatise advises a ruler how to gain and keep a state. Machiavelli, drawing on Roman history and recent Italian wars, discusses hereditary and new principalities, mixed states, and those won by arms, fortune, or crime. He treats mercenaries versus citizen troops, fortresses, flatterers, and whether it is better to be loved or feared. Cesare Borgia, Moses, and contemporary princes supply examples. The argument is that necessity may require cruelty, deceit, and a flexible morality if the state is to last. The book is a handbook of power, not a life of any one prince.
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5 SubjectsBound in blue artificial silk with as arabesque design in silver and gold by Brian Paine. Pale blue endleaves. Silver or dark blue slipcase.
| Printing | Print Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Printing | 1970 | — |
| 2nd Printing | 1972 | — |