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The Prince

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The Prince

By: Nicolo Machiavelli
Narrated by: Ian Richardson
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About this listen

 How remarkable that an Italian living in the 15th and 16th centuries should lend his name to a word still in common usage in the English language today. Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote only one major work as a gift for his ruling Prince, Lorenzo de Medici. Machiavelli held office as a senior civil servant for 14 years until the downfall of the Republic in 1512. No longer officially employed to impart advice, instead Machiavelli poured out his ideas and resentment in his writings. The Prince as remained a prominent classic ever since; valued for its shrewd psychological insight, powerful words, and prophetic quality. And even today, it has never lost its power to shock and influence. Ian Richardson's formidable reading of this modern unabridged translation is an accessible and entertaining way in to a truly compelling world view.Original translation in 1908 by W.K. Marryatt, updated by Alan Petrides in 1995.Public Domain (P)2005 CSA Telltapes Ltd Political Science Politics & Government Royalty Inspiring

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All stars
Most relevant
A short but influential treatise on how to rule as the head of state. Whilst putting aside that Machiavelli believed Republics were the best way of ruling countries and that the most well known ideas "it is better to be feared than loved" are much moderated, stating that it is best to be loved and feared, but as not everyone will love you and all your citizens might fear you the prince should err on the side of fear, even using the Roman emperor Severus as an example of going too far.

Machiavelli leaves out the role of luck, stating it's like a river that floods, you can build defences and maybe survive it. However he leaves out the possibility of success by luck in a lot of the maxims he suggests.

When discussing fortresses he states that they are mostly useful for surviving a rebellion of the people which ignores a large amount of warfare where an enemy fortress can't be left in your rear to harass your supply lines.

His examples can be rather odd from a modern perspective, using Alexander the Great and Roman Emporers as well as minor 15th century Italian nobles as commonly known figures.

At one point when discussing leadership the examples of Moses, Theseus, Cyrus and Romulous are used, only one of whom isn't a mythological/ legendary figure.

The book ends with a call to arms with the time being right to unite Italy, which shows Machiavelli's forecasting to be a few centuries out.

Interesting Theory of Govenance

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This renaissance suppository for the Italian ruling class has long been a staple of the new university social science oeuvre - an unfinished opus that red-brickies swap shamelessly over the Chardonnay. Yes, it's all sounding a bit 80's now isn't it?
But still, we soldier on manfully and laugh along with Ian Richardson's pince-nez, pronunciation even if we can't fill in the referential gaps....'I've just finished re-reading Niccol? Machiavelli (1469-1527), the Italian historian, statesman, and political philosopher, whose amoral, but influential writings on statecraft have turned his name into a synonym for cunning and duplicity....those olives are delicious aren't they, how much did they manage to get for it in the end..? She was hoping for a lot more than that...'

Francis Urquhart's coda

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Brilliant reading of an interesting book. Performed in a way that you forget you are hearing a cynic arguing for the ends justifying immoral means.

Excellent narrator

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Ian Richardson is phenomenal! There cannot be a better reading of this classic in English. Good translation too. What a delight!

Legendary

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One of the first books I read for fun (as opposed to academically) was ?The Prince?. At the time it came across as crisp & pithy, but more like a manual for politics than a living, breathing text (similar to Sun Tzu's ?The Art of War?).

The fantastic thing about this Audio book is that it brings the cadences of ?The Prince? to life. Whereas the book is pretty much dredged for advice & the anecdotes are disgarded, Ian Richardson's presence forces you to engage with his story & with the fascinatingly varied life of Machiavelli. As the other reviewer has said 'the late Ian Richardson of House of Cards fame is exactly the right voice for this piece'. I would add that his qualities as an actor bring clarity & vivid detail to what is otherwise a political textbook.

And what did Machiavelli live through? Some of the most Interesting times (in all senses!) in Medieval Italian politics, when the Pope, Venetia, France & Spain all vied for dominance of Italy (& all eventually failed in some regard). It is in this backdrop provides fruitful material for Machiavelli to dissect. At each stage Machiavelli states how the states work, what things they did right & what failures lead to their downfall.

And the best part was the ending, where he appeals for a united Italy. In the book this comes over rather plainly, but with Ian Richardson's compelling reading, you really feel the depth of feeling that Machiavelli wished to convey.

My one criticism is that the intense analysis is not ideal if you?re listening in the car. To understand the analysis fully it needs your full attention.

So, definitely a worthwhile purchase & a valuable insight into the passion & intensity of one of history's greatest political commentators. If you like this particular one, then I thoroughly recommend Dawkins' reading of ?On The Origin of Species?. It is always good to hear dry non-fiction brought to life by a narrator.
Why?
Only a true Machiavellian would understand...

Machiavelli is Alive!

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