A Florentine public servant and political theorist, Niccolò Machiavelli originally published The Prince in 1532. He wrote it as a guide to establishing a monarchy and maintaining absolute power over a people. His ruthless proposals both alarmed and inspired readers, but the book’s significance was clear even then. It is now widely regarded as the single most influential book on politics—particularly the politics of power—ever written.

In this shrewd and perceptive study, Philip Bobbitt, America’s foremost political theorist and a former senior counsel to the White House, the Senate and the State Department, explains the history and importance of The Prince. Through the eyes of a political strategist and a constitutional lawyer, he explains why Machiavelli’s work has retained its place at the heart of international diplomacy for nigh on five hundred years.