
The Prince
William J. Connell(Editor)
St Martin's Press
Published on 1. February 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
180 pages
978-0-312-14978-9 (ISBN)
Description
Widely read for its insights into history and politics, The Prince is one of the most provocative works of the Italian Renaissance. Based on Niccolò Machiavelli's observations of the effectiveness of both ancient and contemporary statesmen, the rules for governing set forth in his manual were considered radical and harsh by his contemporaries and shocking to many others since then. This major new edition combines an accurate and accessible new translation with important related documents, many of which appear here in English for the first time. In his clear yet comprehensive introductory essay, William J. Connell offers fresh insights into Machiavelli's life, the meaning of his work, the context in which it was written, and its influence over time. Document headnotes, maps, a chronology of Machiavelli's life, questions for consideration, a selected bibliography, and index provide further pedagogical support.
Reviews / Votes
'Connell provides by far the best historical introduction to a student text of The Prince that I have ever seen. It is concise, clear, and remarkably straightforward given the complexity of the issues it treats, including not only the precise context of the work's composition, but also some very helpful description of its reception. As a whole, in my view, this edition of The Prince is the very best available in English, and I look forward to using it in my classes.' - Kenneth Gowens, University of Connecticut, USA 'This edition of The Prince handles all the basics well, but this version goes beyond the norm in that everything, from the introduction to the notes to the translation to the related documents, is chosen in such a way as to make this complicated work make real sense to students who may be coming to it with very little background. That the translator has produced such a version while also-in the related documents as well as in some of the notes-incorporating some real scholarly discoveries is all the more to his credit.' - Christopher Celenza, Michigan State University, USA 'This is one of the best critical editions of The Prince available in English, if not the best. What I mean by this is quite literal: readers who want to cite Machiavelli chapter and verse should use this edition. Readers who want some sense of how the text evolved, while reading it in an accessible form, should use this edition. Readers who want a good introduction to related documentation, should also turn to Connell.' - Paula Findlen, Stanford University, USA 'Connell provides by far the best historical introduction to a student text of The Prince that I have ever seen. It is concise, clear, and remarkably straightforward given the complexity of the issues it treats, including not only the precise context of the work's composition, but also some very helpful description of its reception. As a whole, in my view, this edition of The Prince is the very best available in English, and I look forward to using it in my classes.' - Kenneth Gowens, University of Connecticut, USA 'This edition of The Prince handles all the basics well, but this version goes beyond the norm in that everything, from the introduction to the notes to the translation to the related documents, is chosen in such a way as to make this complicated work make real sense to students who may be coming to it with very little background. That the translator has produced such a version while also-in the related documents as well as in some of the notes-incorporating some real scholarly discoveries is all the more to his credit.' - Christopher Celenza, Michigan State University, USA 'This is one of the best critical editions of The Prince available in English, if not the best. What I mean by this is quite literal: readers who want to cite Machiavelli chapter and verse should use this edition. Readers who want some sense of how the text evolved, while reading it in an accessible form, should use this edition. Readers who want a good introduction to related documentation, should also turn to Connell.' - Paula Findlen, Stanford University, USAMore details
Series
Edition
1st ed. 2005
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
180 p.
Dimensions
Height: 21 cm
Width: 13.6 cm
ISBN-13
978-0-312-14978-9 (9780312149789)
Schweitzer Classification
Person
WILLIAM J. CONNELL is Professor of History, Seton Hall University, USA.
Content
Foreword.- Preface.- PART ONE.- Introduction: The Puzzle of The Prince.- An Extreme Book for Extreme Times.- Humanists and Heretics.- Machiavelli Before The Prince.- The Prince's Prolonged and Difficult Birth.- Dueling Machiavellis in Early Modern Europe: The Counselor to Tyrants and the Republican Conspirator.- The Prince and the Autonomy of Politics: A Blessing and a Curse.- PART TWO.- The Document.- The Prince .- PART THREE.- Related Documents.- Niccolò Machiavelli, Letter to Giovan Battista Soderini, circa September 13-27, 1506.- Francesco Vettori, Letter to Niccolò Machiavelli. November 23, 1513.- Niccolò Machiavelli, Letter to Francesco Vettori. December 10, 1513.- Niccolò Machiavelli, The Thrushes: A Sonnet, 1513.- Riccardo Riccardi, Machiavelli's Presentation of The Prince, circa 1580.- Niccolò Guicciardini, From a Letter to Luigi Guicciardini, July 29, 1517.- Early Prefaces of The Prince.- Biagio Buonaccorsi, Prefatory Letter to Pandolfo Bellacci, circa 1516-17.- Teofilo Mochi, Prefatory Letter, circa 1530.- Antonio Blado, Dedicatory Letter to Filippo Strozzi, January 4, 1532.- Bernardo Giunta, Dedicatory Letter to Giovanni Gaddi, May 8, 1532.- Agostino Nifo, From On Skill in Ruling. 1523.- Giovan Battista Busini, From a Letter to Benedetto Varchi, January 23, 1549.- Benedetto Varchi, From the Florentine History, 1565.- Étienne Binet, From Machiavelli's Dream, 1629.- Reginald Pole, From The Apology to Charles V, 1534.- Innocent Gentillet, From The Discourses Against Machiavelli, 1576.- Christopher Marlowe, From The Jew of Malta, circa 1590.- Frederick the Great, From The Refutation of Machiavelli's 'Prince', 1740.- Jean-Jacques Rousseau, From On the Social Contract, After 1762.- Benito Mussolini, 'A Prelude to Machiavelli,' 1924.- Antonio Gramsci, From The Prison Notebooks, 1932-34.- Appendixes.- Maps.- A Machiavelli Chronology (1469-1527).- Questions for Consideration.- Selected Bibliography.- Index.