Skip to content

Machiavelli: A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli: A Biography Hardcover - 2011

by Miles J. Unger


From the publisher

He is the most infamous and influential political writer of all time. His name has become synonymous with cynical scheming and the selfish pursuit of power. Niccol Machiavelli, Florentine diplomat and civil servant, is the father of political science. His most notorious work, The Prince, is a primer on how to acquire and retain power without regard to scruple or conscience. His other masterpiece, The Discourses, offers a profound analysis of the workings of the civil state and a hardheaded assessment of human nature. Machiavelli's philosophy was shaped by the tumultuous age in which he lived, an age of towering geniuses and brutal tyrants. He was on intimate terms with Leonardo and Michelangelo. His first political mission was to spy on the fire-and-brimstone preacher Savonarola. As a diplomat, he matched wits with the corrupt and carnal Pope Alexander VI and his son, the notorious Cesare Borgia, whose violent career served as a model for The Prince. His insights were gleaned by closely studying men like Julius II, the "Warrior Pope," and his successor, the vacillating Clement VII, as well as two kings of France and the Holy Roman Emperor. Analyzing their successes and failures, Machiavelli developed his revolutionary approach to power politics. Machiavelli was, above all, a student of human nature. In The Prince he wrote a practical guide to the aspiring politician that is based on the world as it is, not as it should be. He has been called cold and calculating, cynical and immoral. In reality, argues biographer Miles Unger, he was a deeply humane writer whose controversial theories were a response to the violence and corruption he saw around him. He was a psychologist with acute insight into human nature centuries before Freud. A brilliant and witty writer, he was not only a political theorist but also a poet and the author of La Mandragola, the finest comedy of the Italian Renaissance. He has been called the first modern man, unafraid to contemplate a world without God. Rising from modest beginnings on the strength of his own talents, he was able to see through the pious hypocrisy of the age in which he lived. Miles Unger has relied on original Italian sources as well as his own deep knowledge of Florence in writing this fascinating and authoritative account of a genius whose work remains as relevant today as when he wrote it.

Details

  • Title Machiavelli: A Biography
  • Author Miles J. Unger
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 400
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Simon & Schuster, New York
  • Date 2011-06
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781416556282 / 1416556281
  • Weight 1.55 lbs (0.70 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.3 in (23.62 x 16.76 x 3.30 cm)
  • Reading level 1400
  • Library of Congress subjects Authors, Italian, Italy - History - 1492-1559
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2010054130
  • Dewey Decimal Code B
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

Machiavelli: A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Unger, Miles J.

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, 2011. Hardcover. Good. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli: A Biography

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Unger, Miles J.

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
4
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, 2011. Hardcover. Very Good. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli: A Biography

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Unger, Miles J.

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, 2011. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli: A Biography

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Unger, Miles J.

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, 2011. Hardcover. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
A$10.24
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli : A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli : A Biography

by Unger, Miles J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.80
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, Limited. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
A$10.80
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli : A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli : A Biography

by Unger, Miles J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.80
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
A$10.80
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli : A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli : A Biography

by Unger, Miles J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$10.93
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, Limited. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
A$10.93
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli: A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Miles J. Unger

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$13.32
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, 2011-06-14. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
A$13.32
FREE shipping to USA
Machiavelli

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Miles J. Unger

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$20.17
A$6.40 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Tight, clean, unmarked copy; minimal wear. Deckle edge. First Hardcover edition/printing.
Item Price
A$20.17
A$6.40 shipping to USA
Machiavelli: A Biography
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Machiavelli: A Biography

by Miles Unger

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used:Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781416556282
ISBN 10
1416556281
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
A$36.35
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Simon & Schuster, 2011-06-14. Hardcover. Used:Good.
Item Price
A$36.35
FREE shipping to USA