Machiavelli

This collected edition brings together Machiavelli's The Prince and The Art of War, introduced as enduring classics of Renaissance statecraft and military thought, with Henry Cust's personal dedication framing the volume's seriousness and appeal. The opening life of Machiavelli traces a brilliant career cut short by political ruin: from Florentine secretary and diplomat to exile, torture, poverty, and frustrated hopes of return, yet also to renewed writing, friendship, and the composition of the History of Florence before his death in 1527. Set against this biography is a bleak portrait of sixteenth-century Italy, divided by corruption, superstition, and papal vice, where elegance masks weakness and foreign conquest looms. The Prince is presented as a patriotic, unsparing study of power, defending Machiavelli against charges of cruelty and using Cæsar Borgia as a vivid example of ruthless political intelligence. The Art of War shifts to practical military instruction, following Fabricio through the dangers of marching in enemy territory and crossing rivers, where vigilance, secrecy, discipline, deception, and terrain decide survival. Across both works, Machiavelli emerges as a hard-eyed but humane thinker who understood that rulers and captains must prepare for hardship, war, and instability if they hope to preserve their states. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.