On Niccolo Machiavelli

Reviews / Votes

Among the many books one could read on Machiavelli over the last decades, this one strongly stands out. Eloquently written, incisively argued, and with a view on the past and the present, Pedulla succeeds in elaborating both the many merits and multiple flaws, the attractiveness and the perilousness of the theoretical work this Italian thinker and statesman bequeathed to us. Everyone interested in the energy room of politics should definitely read this brilliant book. -- Axel Honneth, Jack B. Weinstein Professor of the Humanities, Columbia University Pedulla's On Niccolo Machiavelli will stand as the single most important introductory study of Machiavelli in any language. Covering biographical details and historical context as well as offering concise and astute analyses of Machiavelli's major writings, it is a work of great insight, depth, and originality. -- John P. McCormick, author of <i>Reading Machiavelli: Scandalous Books, Suspect Engagements, and the Virtue of Populist Politics</i> An immensely rich analysis of Machiavelli's achievement that integrates his political and literary writings with his life and view of religion. More than that, it goes on to explain his contested legacy from the time of his death to his present relevance today, making it quite unrivaled in its scope and appeal to a global and multifocused readership. -- Alison Brown, author of <i>Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy</i> Pedulla's book serves as an excellent primer for Machiavelli's work, offering the key through which to interpret his most controversial ideas. * ZME Science * But even grizzled veterans will find interest in Pedulla's portrait of the Secretary as a political animal who was also a non-conformist and a critic of conventional wisdom. * Claremont Review of Books * Pedulla?'s valuable contribution to the "Core Knowledge" series from Columbia College will allow students to see the complex paradoxes of the mind of Machiavelli. * Choice * With this new short introduction, Pedulla successfully manages to popularize his approach to the Florentine secretary, while carefully taking the most recent scholarship into account. * Jacobin * It is simply the best introductory study of the great Florentine secretary in any language. * History of European Ideas * The distinguishing feature of this introduction is the attention it pays to context, that is, to Machiavelli situated among his Renaissance contemporaries and to the innovative literary forms he employed. * Review of Politics * Pedulla's volume is primarily aimed at providing college students and general readers with an introduction to Machiavelli, but it accomplishes more than that. It also offers food for thought to specialists. * Renaissance Quarterly *