"Those who strive to obtain the good graces of a prince are accustomed to come before him with such things as they hold most precious, or in which they see him take most delight; whence one often sees horses, arms, cloth of gold, precious stones, and similar ornaments presented to princes, worthy of their greatness. Desiring therefore to present myself to your Magnificence with some testimony of my devotion towards you, I have not found among my possessions anything which I hold more dear than, or value so much as, the knowledge of the actions of great men, acquired by long experience in contemporary affairs, and a continual study of antiquity; which, having reflected upon it with great and prolonged diligence, I now send, digested into a little volume, to your Magnificence." (From the author's dedication to "To the Magnificent Lorenzo Di Piero De' Medici.")

Introduction by Dominic Baker-Smith; Translation by W. K. Marriott

Machiavelli's best-known book, Il Principe, contains a number of maxims concerning politics, but rather than the more traditional subject of a hereditary prince, it concentrates on the possibility of a "new prince." To retain power, the hereditary prince must carefully maintain the sociopolitical institutions to which the people are accustomed; whereas a new prince has the more difficult task in ruling, since he must first stabilize his newfound power in order to build an enduring political structure. He asserted that social benefits of stability and security could be achieved in the face of moral corruption. Aside from that, Machiavelli believed that public and private morality had to be understood as two different things in order to rule well. As a result, a ruler must be concerned not only with reputation, but also must be positively willing to act immorally at the right times. As a political scientist, Machiavelli emphasized the occasional need for the methodical exercise of brute force or deceit.

This special edition of "The Art of War" by Machiavelli & "The Prince" by Machiavelli unites both of Machiavelli 's renowned volumes on strategy so that the philosophy and mechanisms for obtaining power and managing power may be seen as a single entity.
Possessed of a great intellect, Niccolo Machiavelli was uniquely suited to examine and explain the important details of statecraft. Machiavelli, like Plato, Pythagoras and Confucius two hundred odd decades before him, saw only one method by which a thinking man, himself not powerful, might do the work of state building, and that was by seizing the imagination of a Prince. With these writings, he has influenced the history of the world.
Machiavelli has so influenced human civilization that the very term: Machiavellian, has come to mean that which is characterized by expediency, deceit, and cunning. A prime example is his advice: "A wise prince, when he has the opportunity, ought with craft to foster some animosity against himself, so that, having crushed it, his renown may rise higher." His advice, on this and other suggested intrigues, has been heeded by various heads of state for over four hundred years.

Other special edition books in this series dealing with the subject of warfare and strategy include:
The Art of War By Sun Tzu - Special Edition
The Art of War By Mao Tse-tung - Special Edition
The Art of War By Baron De Jomini - Special Edition