Title: The Prince (Il Principe)
Author: Niccolò Machiavelli
Written: 1513
Translator: Tim Parks, 2009
Pages: 124
Structure: 26 chapters.
Fifteenth Century Italy was a turbulent place. After a life of exemplary diplomatic service, Niccolò Machiavelli found himself imprisoned, tortured, and on the verge of ruin following a change of political leadership in his country.
This book is an instruction manual that Machiavelli sent to the new leader, explaining how to gain political power, what was necessary to hang on to it, and how not to be a victim of circumstance. In a way, Machiavelli was saying “I have experience, I can be useful. Here is proof. Spare a kind thought for me.”