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This intellectual biography ofthe 16th century Italian quotes exclusively from Machiavelli's own words rather than quoting others who commented upon him. In this way de Grazia, a professor at Rutgers, paints a colorful portrait of the man entirely in the context of his time. In The Prince Machiavelli had famously examined the dilemma ofthe ruler who must find a resolution between political necessity and ethical behavior. By thus inventing 'realpolitik' Machiavelli entered the language of political discourse, and got himself rather a bad name. De Grazia's book, which won a Pulitzer Prize, goes some way to rehabilitating him, suggesting that his immoral means were put to good political ends. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Intellectually stimulating and thought provoking
To those of you looking for an easy read on Machiavelli, I recommend going somewhere else. This book isn't going to skimp on the scholarly side just to make it easier to read for others. This is an intelligent book for an intelligent reader. Grazia intricately weaves together the mindset of Machiavelli as we see him through his many works and letters to friends.

At first I was a little disappointed, perhaps because I was looking more for the momentous doings of Machiavelli. Yet, as I worked through the sheer volume of this biography (not by number of pages, yet rather by the number of words per page) I began to grow and respect Grazia as I slowly began to realize who Machiavelli was and how his thoughts and ideas influenced so many. His thoughts are his astounding accomplishments and those we certainly see here.

For those interested in reading an intellectual book, definitely read this one. Machiavelli always believed that a person becomes a learned person through reading. For someone who agrees with this mindset I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone that has intelligence enough to want to learn rather than those readers who simply are looking for an easy read.

Finally a decent book on Nicolo
I give this book an easy 5 stars.This is much less intimidating than many of Nicolo's own writings... De Grazia is interested in his subject, fun, and ultimately very sympathetic to Machiavelli.The book shows how Machiavelli was a poet, a lover, a (really good!) comic playwright, and a champion of democracy, in addition to being one of the founding fathers of political science.I've read the majority of Nicolo's surviving work, often in the Italian, and De Grazia truly portrays him as he was... a courtier after Castiglione's model who (even after his death) suffered more than his share of the "unremitting malice of fortune."READ IT!!!

Niccolo and His Philosophy
Let me say first that I did not find this book difficult to read or comprehend, as some reviewers have implied it might be. It was, and is, a scholarly work, but Grazia makes the material lively, interesting, and above all understandable. Each thread in the tapestry that he weaves around the life and philosophy of Niccolo (as he calls him throughout the entire work) is discussed separately but folded back into the whole at regular intervals.

Grazia introduces us to Niccolo Machiavegli (Machiavelli in the Tuscan style) in Chapter 1, a figure often reviled in later ages. From Chapter 2 onward we are treated to an analysis of his works, political, social, and dramatic in the context of an overarching political philosophy. What I found most interesting about Machiavelli In Hell is the interleaving of Niccolo's life with this analysis. He becomes a person rather than the one-dimensional cutout we are often given in school texts - a man of feeling, ideals, and intelligence. With some persistence and careful reading you can it make through this book with a greater understanding of what Niccolo gave to later generations, or even his own. It is not a substitute for The Prince, The Art of War, or the Mandragola but an introduction.

An historian's Machiavelli
This is a work of scholarship, not intended to be a page-turner, as other reviewers noted. It is rare to find historical studies that succeed in giving a sense of the subject's mindset. Here one can develop a sense of the Renaissance statesman and philosopher's intellectual journey, withoutmodern idealistic baggage.I have read several studies of Niccolo, andthis is the the best by far.

A real treat if yo are ready for some gumnastics
Come on. When I checked the reviews and found it averaging only two stars I had to object. The best book on Machiavelli is Leo Strauss' "Thoughts on Machiavelli, which makes this one look like a first gradeprimer. That a book is too intellectually challenging is not an objectionagainst it. This is an excellent biography. But it needs excellent readers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A superb brief introduction to a misunderstood thinker
I first read this short introduction to Machiavelli about ten years ago, when it was a volume in the Oxford University Press Past Masters series. It has been resurrected in updated form to be a part of their Very Brief Introductions series. The changes are all to the good. Whereas the Past Masters edition was printed on cheap paper with a tendency to age and yellow, the new edition features updated bibliography, the addition of graphics, reset font, a sturdier binding and paper cover, and a much higher grade of paper. In everyway, this new volume is an improvement over the earlier edition.

Content wise, you couldn't ask for a better brief introduction to Machiavelli. Skinner is one of the great historians of political thought of this generation, and probably the finest. His knowledge of 16th and 17th century political thought is difficult to rival. He covers Machiavelli's political thought in loosely chronological fashion, blending the highpoints of his biography with longer expositions of his three great political works. There are four chapters in all. The first details some of Machiavelli's experience working as a diplomat for the Florentine republic. It was by observing many of the political leaders he dealt with that he gathered the ideas for the composition by which he is best known today, THE PRINCE. Chapter Two provides a brief sketch of the contents and argument of THE PRINCE, and it alone would justify the purchase of the book. Luckily, the book contains more, including an exposition of his DISCOURSES ON LIVY in Chapter Three. This chapter (and Machiavelli's book) should be of great interest to any American interested in the founding of the United States, because many of the Founders considered themselves students of Machiavelli, though not of THE PRINCE, but the discourses. Most of the Founders had a fascination with the Roman Republic, and in founding the United States sought to emulate many of its features. Much of their exposure to the Roman Republic came via Livy and through Machiavelli's book, which covers the first ten books of Livy's history of Rome. The final chapter covers the history of Florence that the Medici family commissioned him to write, a history that expresses a deeply ambivalent opinion about the value of principalities over republics.

Skinner's book will not substitute for the reading of Machiavelli, and it certainly cannot constitute an in depth study of his work. But it makes an absolutely ideal overview to anyone about to read any of Machiavelli's works. ... Read more

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Reviews (12)

A Most Useful Biography
Viroli concisely depicts the people and tumultuous events of 16th century Italy. This illuminates Machiavelli's 15th and 16th century historical examples, and helps the reader of _The Prince_ and _The Discourses_ to obtain a firmer grasp of Machiavelli's subtle and ephemeral ideas.

Reading Viroli has helped me see that Machiavelli was a man out of season, and that this contrariness is key to understanding his works. Machiavelli saw, and experienced that the tectonic momentum of centuries of declining political and military virtue in Italy (and the rest of the world) could not be reversed by a single man in a single lifetime, whether he be an outcast Secretary of a failed government, like Machiavelli, or a deposed military strongman like Cesare Borgia.

Machiavelli's experience as Secretary fed his scholarship. It led him to understand the changes in peoples and states. Machiavelli reveals that truth very carefully and quietly in books that are seemingly straightforward and brash. The aspiration to rule, he might say, requires blindness to history, and a love of myth. The would be prince can not see that the highest examples of Princes, men who are revered for changing the course of whole nations, were failures and were despised by their contemporaries. Their "revolutions" unfolded over the course of generations as the mass of the people absorbed a new teaching, and a common language.

Rather light but enjoyable biography of Machiavelli
Machiavelli has been unfairly portrayed as the unethical and ultimately immoral original proponent of "realpolitik". By contrast he was a strong patriot of his native Florence, a city-state surrounded by larger, more powerful political entities and forced to participate in various alliances and rivalry's in order to insure it's own political survival.

Known more for "The Prince" (His other writings such as "Discourses on Livy" and "The Art of War" are not as well known) than anything else, Machiavelli was also a great supporter of Florence's republican form of government. He understood that a nation needed it's own citizen army rather than depend on foreign mercenaries or powers for its protection.

This biography written by Maurizion Viroli takes us on a more personal journey through Machiavelli's life. We're exposed to his personal friendships and relationships which show him as a much more sympathetic and ultimately likeable individual.

Understanding his position after his fall from office, one can see why he wrote "The Prince" for Lorenzo Medici. A well written and well translated biography, this is a good starter for anyone interested in the life an background of Machiavelli as well as a decent primer for the political scene of the beginnings of the Italian Wars of the sixteenth century, an event whose occurence is only now being realized as the real beginning of early modern europe.

Pleasing revisionism
This biography presents the full Machiavelli, not just the cynical philosopher of politics. The reader discovers many other facets of his sometimes lusty, sometimes ironic, sometimes mischevious personality. The book places Machiavelli in the context of local events current to his time. We can see how he was influenced by, and tried to influence, the politics of his day. Above all, this book conveys Machiavelli as a writer, more effective in offering advice than he was at managing events. Viroli's brief essays at the beginnings of some of his chapters are elegant works in themselves. A plan of Renaissance Florence would have been a useful addition.

Machiavelli as a human being rather than an epithet
This is a concise and lively account of Machiavelli's life. It provides the general reader with much needed context and background in order to read Machiavelli's works with any kind of understanding. While there are good scholarly works that can provide the feeling of more intellectual heft, this book should not be underestimated simply because it is easy to read and doesn't require weeks to read.

Machiavelli is one of those brand-name characters that evoke certain reactions in people in such a generalized way that people mistakenly believe they know something about the man and his work. This book can help debunk much of that received nonsense. It is surprising how "modern" a man he was considering he lived nearly 500 years ago.

The author has admiration for Machiavelli's skills as an analyst and as a diplomat, has sympathy for his personal suffering and disappointments, and forgiving in his attitude towards Machiavelli's human failings (the author might not even agree they were failings - they were just human). And that is the book's greatest contribution; it shows its subject as a human being rather than a caricature or a statue.

In any case, I found this to be a very valuable and entertaining book. I recommend it highly. You can draw your own conclusions about the subject and they author's conclusions. But you will have gained a lot in the process of coming to those (now better informed) conclusions.

There are a few helpful maps throughout the book and a suggested reading list at the end. The translation is terrific.

The man behind the smile
"No man has been more misunderstood," some would say. Who truly is the man behind the famous smile of determination and challenge? Why would anyone advise a ruler to be deceitful? Viroli's Niccolo's Smile is one of few biographies on Niccolo Machiavelli which can help lead us to the answers of our most controversial questions about his life. The book starts off by stating Niccolo's date of birth, family life, and means of education. However, if you read closely about his education, the author helps unlink a clue for us behind the mystery of how Machiavelli was launched into his political career. In the middle of the book are the tales of Machiavelli's first and most important missions while he was second chancellor. Viroli also talks about the politician's most famous work which he's known for, The Prince. Here and there the author talks about Machiavelli's love life and hard times in life, including his banishment in 1513. Sadly, the book does have a depressing ending when it starts to unwind when the author tells the details of this poor man's, whose ideas were ahead of his time, last, depressing days.

My favorite part of Niccolo's Smile was the chapter about Niccolo's banishment from Florence. I liked this chapter because it was written with such an amount of detail. To me, it seemed like the author interviewed Machiavelli because he knew Machiavelli's exact feelings during every minute of his expulsion from his native town. It was in this part of the book which made me feel the deepest sympathy for this man. Especially since Machiavelli's banishment was his punishment for committing a crime he was falsely accused for.

Viroli's Niccolo's Smile was a slightly interesting read considering it was a biography. It taught me many new things behind the world of politics. It also showed me how depressing the life of a person misunderstood was. Though, I wouldn't recommend this book as a "free read" for kids my age, 11-13, because the chapter based on Machiavelli's love affairs isn't very appropriate for children under the age of 15. It was disturbing for me to read about Machiavelli's sick urges, plus those of his friends. Other than that, Niccolo's Smile was well-written. If anyone had to write a report on the life of Machiavelli this book would be first on my list of recommendations. ... Read more

Book Description

Volume II of a two volume set

A vivid and lively account of Machiavelli's life and times by the noted Italian historian, originally published in 1892.This biography of Machiavelli which tries to unravel the mystery of the character of this Florentine Secretary, either portrayed as a monster of perfidy or as the noblest and purest of patriots, the book provides background on Italy, the Italian Renaissance, and Machiavelli's life from 1469 to 1512.

This title is cited and recommended by: Books for College Libraries; Catalogue of the Lamont Library, Harvard College; and The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Makaveli
"a prince who wishes to achieve great things must learn to decieve" ... Read more

Book Description

Exploring both the political and intellectual contexts within which Machiavelli's political vision was formed, Mikael Hornqvist stresses the classical and rhetorical character of Machiavelli's thought.He analyzes his preoccupation with glory and liberality in relation to the revival of Roman ideas of triumphalism. The result is a revealing account of the formation of Machiavelli's characteristic preoccupations. ... Read more

Book Description

Graphics and text are combined to give a full overview of this philosopher. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

WARNING:this is NOT Machiavelli but leftist propaganda
Less then half of the book is about the life or philosophy of this great thinker. More then half the book is leftist propaganda disguised as objective reasoning obviously intended to indoctrinate the novice - its intended audience. One example should suffice. Margaret Thatcher is made to say: "There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families." Machiavelli then responds: "Nothing I ever wrote was worse - this is a republican nightmare and a sure recipe for social and political disaster!" If you do not recoil from this exchange then you have already been indoctrinated. Quickly pick up John Locke or the Federalist Papers to recover. Then help the young readers of this book recover.

Excellent Book - Machiavelli as you never knew him
I picked this up from a sorting shelf this afternoon, and I am very very glad I did so. This book introduces you to Machiavelli's life and ideas, and then deftly compares his writings to contemporary and recent history. The "running commentary" by Machiavell is fascinating. It's opened my eyes to just how switched-on Machiavelli was, and how earnest and well-intentioned. I'm definitely going to be reading more about Machiavelli - indeed, this book was so good I'm considered changing out of science and into arts to pursue the topic more closely!

Great introduction!
I knew very little about Machiavelli before reading this amusing illustrated book. I had heard many 'negative' remarks about him, but just like Nietzsche, Machiavelli is not at all that simple. A fascinating character with much to say that is still quite relevant to our world today. I will definitely go on to read Machiavelli's books. The cartoon sequence featuring Mussolini and Gramsci in a dialog moderated by old Nick was great. Go out and get this book!

Best available synopsis of Machiavellian thought . . .
Now that McCanles' _Discourse of Il Principe_ is out of print, this is the most readable and insightful analysis / synthesis of Machiavellian thought available. The author catches the dialectical nuances of Machiavelli's thought exactly. But the joy of the text comes from the comparisons between Machiavelli and contemporary figures, e.g., Antonio Gramsci, Benito Mussolini, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, etc. Must read! ... Read more

Book Description

The Great Political Thinkers series presents critical appraisals of great political thinkers from the Greeks to present day. It focuses in particular on those thinkers who are generally recognized as being central to the evolution and development of political thought.The series will be indispensable for a clear understanding of the origin and development of political ideas and the role played by the leading protagonists of the past. ... Read more