Product Overview
It is not the well-being of individuals that makes cities great, but the well-being of the community
Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccol Machiavelli. But while his treatiseThe Princemade his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation,The Discourses(c.1517) shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics. In this carefully argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposed a system of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling the virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, but also clear-eyed and pragmatic,The Discoursescreates a modern theory of republic politics.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust theseries to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-datetranslations by award-winning translators.
