---
product_id: 199683
title: "The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)"
price: "$22.18"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.ec/products/199683-the-prince-dover-thrift-editions
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region: Ecuador
---

# The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)

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## Description

The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions) [Niccolò Machiavelli, N. H. Thompson] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions)

Review: People up to no good are said to be Machiavellian and manipulative - I’d been meaning to read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli based on the reputation of the book alone. People up to no good are said to be Machiavellian and manipulative. I expected a treatise on how to manipulate people on an individual level. It is a much broader book than that. The Prince is a guidebook for new rulers, or Princes, instructing them on the best way to rule over a populace. It’s a book on good governance with interesting bits of wisdom here and there. And, it’s a difficult read because the text calls on events that were current at the time it was written in 1513. The Prince also features a translation straight from antiquity. Consider this little bit about building fortresses… "So that, on the whole, the best fortress you can have, is in not being hated by your subjects. If they hate you no fortress will save you; for when once the people take up arms, foreigners are never wanting to assist them." That’s a bit of wisdom. It is immediately followed by this passage… "Within our own time it does not appear that fortresses have been of service to any Prince, unless to the Countess of Forlì after her husband Count Girolamo was murdered; for by this means she was able to escape the first onset of the insurgents, and awaiting succour from Milan, to recover her State; the circumstances of the times not allowing any foreigner to lend assistance to the people. But afterwards, when she was attacked by Cesare Borgia, and the people, out of hostility to her, took part with the invader, her fortresses were of little avail. So that, both on this and on the former occasion, it would have been safer for her to have had no fortresses, than to have had her subjects for enemies. All which considerations taken into account, I shall applaud him who builds fortresses, and him who does not; but I shall blame him who, trusting in them, reckons it a light thing to be held in hatred by his people." There are chapters on how to deal with flatterers and how to treat Ministers. The text concludes with Machiavelli encouraging a leader to use the lessons of the book and to step forward to rid Italian soil of barbarians. Machiavelli advises the need for realism and talks of the influence of Fortune, for good and bad. The Prince an interesting read with applications to the modern age, but to get to the meat of the advice, you get a big dose of the politics of the ancient world.
Review: I often heard of this book but never read it ... - I often heard of this book but never read it and after reading it I am sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. Some people think that the book is cruel and calculating, but I think it is very insightful of how governments take over countries and keep their citizens in line. Some times it means killing the old administration (literally) and other times it means employing citizens in new territories that you are trying to take over. The writing wasn't convoluted at all. It was very clear and well written. This is definitely a book you can read over and over again.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #112,742 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #90 in European Politics Books #221 in Political Philosophy (Books) #360 in History & Theory of Politics |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,903) |
| Dimensions  | 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 0486272745 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0486272740 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 80 pages |
| Publication date  | August 10, 2016 |
| Publisher  | Dover Publications, Incorporated |

## Images

![The Prince (Dover Thrift Editions) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712oGRrqHSL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ People up to no good are said to be Machiavellian and manipulative
*by B***S on January 2, 2017*

I’d been meaning to read The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli based on the reputation of the book alone. People up to no good are said to be Machiavellian and manipulative. I expected a treatise on how to manipulate people on an individual level. It is a much broader book than that. The Prince is a guidebook for new rulers, or Princes, instructing them on the best way to rule over a populace. It’s a book on good governance with interesting bits of wisdom here and there. And, it’s a difficult read because the text calls on events that were current at the time it was written in 1513. The Prince also features a translation straight from antiquity. Consider this little bit about building fortresses… "So that, on the whole, the best fortress you can have, is in not being hated by your subjects. If they hate you no fortress will save you; for when once the people take up arms, foreigners are never wanting to assist them." That’s a bit of wisdom. It is immediately followed by this passage… "Within our own time it does not appear that fortresses have been of service to any Prince, unless to the Countess of Forlì after her husband Count Girolamo was murdered; for by this means she was able to escape the first onset of the insurgents, and awaiting succour from Milan, to recover her State; the circumstances of the times not allowing any foreigner to lend assistance to the people. But afterwards, when she was attacked by Cesare Borgia, and the people, out of hostility to her, took part with the invader, her fortresses were of little avail. So that, both on this and on the former occasion, it would have been safer for her to have had no fortresses, than to have had her subjects for enemies. All which considerations taken into account, I shall applaud him who builds fortresses, and him who does not; but I shall blame him who, trusting in them, reckons it a light thing to be held in hatred by his people." There are chapters on how to deal with flatterers and how to treat Ministers. The text concludes with Machiavelli encouraging a leader to use the lessons of the book and to step forward to rid Italian soil of barbarians. Machiavelli advises the need for realism and talks of the influence of Fortune, for good and bad. The Prince an interesting read with applications to the modern age, but to get to the meat of the advice, you get a big dose of the politics of the ancient world.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I often heard of this book but never read it ...
*by U***K on January 9, 2017*

I often heard of this book but never read it and after reading it I am sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. Some people think that the book is cruel and calculating, but I think it is very insightful of how governments take over countries and keep their citizens in line. Some times it means killing the old administration (literally) and other times it means employing citizens in new territories that you are trying to take over. The writing wasn't convoluted at all. It was very clear and well written. This is definitely a book you can read over and over again.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another must read book
*by C***S on July 5, 2025*

Awesome but almost completely outdated book...unless your using it as a historical and allegorical insight or comparison for yourself. High value book that meets way too much negative criticism with next to zero context for when it was written

## Frequently Bought Together

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*Last updated: 2026-03-14*