ThisisamajornewEnglish-languageeditionofoneofthecentraltextsinthehistoryofpoliticalthought,presentingstudentswiththemostaccurateandaccessibletranslationyetofMachiavelli’sfamoustreatise.
InhisintroductiontoRussellPrice’stranslation,QuentinSkinnerpresentsalucidanalysisofThePrince,seeingthetextbothasacommentaryupontheimmediateworldofFlorentinepolitics,andasaresponsetothegenreofadvice-booksforprincespublishedbyanumberofMachiavelli’scontemporaries.Emphasisingthespecificmessageofwarningbeneathitssurfacegeneralities,ProfessorSkinnerexaminestheintellectualcontextofThePrince,andhighlightsMachialvelli’srepudiationofRenaissancemoralismanditsclassicalantecedents
Numerousaidsforthestudentreaderareprovided,includingbriefbiographiesofpersonsmentionedinthetextandnotesonMachiavelli’ssometimesproblematicvocabulary,aswellasachronologyofimportanteventsandaguidetofurtherreading.