Written by a Florentine nobleman whose name has become a synonym for crafty plotting, this fascinating document is as pertinent today as when it first appeared. After a lifetime of winning and losing at the game of politics, Machiavelli set down for all time its ageless rules and moves in this highly readable formula for anyone who seeks power. At a time before modern de-mocracy, Machiavelli was less concerned with right and wrong than with currying favor with the ruling Medicis, and his work came to be thought of as a blueprint for dictators. Witty, informative, and devilishly shrewd, The Prince has long been required reading for those interested in politics and power, and it has long since become one of the world's most significant books.