‘One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves’

The Prince shocked Europe on publication with its ruthless tactics for gaining absolute power and its abandonment of conventional morality. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) came to be regarded by some as an agent of the Devil and his name taken for the intriguer ‘Machevill’ of Jacobean tragedy. For his treatise on statecraft Machiavelli drew upon his own experience of office under the turbulent Florentine republic, rejecting traditional values of political theory and recognizing the complicated, transient nature of political life. Concerned not with lofty ideals, but with a regime that would last, The Prince has become the Bible of realpolitik, and still retains its power to alarm and to instruct.

In this edition Machiavelli’s tough-minded and pragmatic Italian is preserved in George Bull’s clear, unambiguous translation, while Anthony Grafton’s introduction depicts his world of power struggles and intrigue, and discusses his role as political teacher of Europe.

Rejecting the traditional values of political theory, Machiavelli drew upon his own experiences of office in the turbulent Florentine republic to write his celebrated treatise on statecraft. While Machiavelli was only one of the many Florentine "prophets of force," he differed from the ruling elite in recognizing the complexity and fluidity of political life. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves-and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives-and destroyed them. Now, Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are. Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers, and each volume is beautifully packaged with a unique type-drive design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature in great packages at great prices, this series is ideal for those readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped the world.

Discretion, decorum, nonchalance, and gracefulness are qualities of the complete and perfect Italian Renaissance courtier that are outlined in this series of imaginary conversations between the principal members of the court of Urbino in 1507.

‘In this painting of Leonardo’s there was a smile so pleasing that it seemed divine rather than human’

Giorgio Vasari (1511–74) was an accomplished painter and architect, but it is for his illuminating biographies that he is best remembered. Beginning with Cimabue and Giotto in the thirteenth century, he traces the development of Italian art across three centuries to the golden epoch of Leonardo and Michelangelo. Great men, and their immortal works, are brought vividly to life, as Vasari depicts the young Giotto scratching his first drawings on stone; Donatello gazing at Brunelleschi’s crucifix; and Michelangelo’s painstaking work on the Sistine Chapel, harassed by the impatient Pope Julius II. The Lives also convey much about Vasari himself and his outstanding abilities as a critic inspired by his passion for art.

George Bull’s introduction discusses Vasari’s life and influences, and the political and historical background of sixteenth-century Florence. This volume also includes notes on the artists by Peter Murray and a list for further reading.

Vasari's knowledge was based on his own experience as an early Renaissance painter and architect. Volume 2 explores the lives of twenty-five artists, from Perugino to Giovanni Pisano.