Machiavelli: A Biography - Hardcover

"A wonderful biography. . . . Unger includes details you didn't hear in World History 101, details that make fascinating reading and should put the book on the list of any history buff." -John Monaghan, The Providence Journal-Bulletin "For most people, 'Machiavellian' means ruthless, the application of power without remorse. Thanks to a fascinating portrait by Miles J. Unger, the real Machiavelli comes across the centuries as something more: a man with whom many of us might like to spend a few hours in rich conversation." -Repps Hudson, St. Louis Post-Disptach "Excellent. . . . wonderfully readable." -Jessica Warner, National Post "An excellent analysis of the influential thinker and his renowned writings." -Booklist "A captivating biography of Italian philosopher and playwright Niccolo Machiavelli. . . . Lively, well-researched portrait of a master political strategist." -Kirkus Reviews "Unger skillfully narrates the details of a life led during one of the greatest periods of artistic, political, and literary activity in Western history. . . . [He] does a wonderful job of bringing Machiavelli to life." -Alan Wolfe, The New Republic "A thoughtful and well-informed study of the life of the Florentine diplomat and government bureaucrat. . . . Unger presents a side of the cynical and jaded diplomat rarely known by even those who had read Machiavelli's notorious collection of practical and often amoral advice to the prospective ruler." -Karl Rove "This is a superb biography, of interest to anybody -- not just management consultants -- trying to get along in the contemporary world. . . . Unger is superb at providing context, so readers grasp how Machiavelli's thinking was received during his lifetime, how it has been interpreted/misinterpreted through the centuries, and how it offers meaning in the 21st century." -Steve Weinberg, USA Today

He is one of the few figures in history whose name has become an adjective. Everyone has heard of him, yet few read his most important works. Miles Unger tells readers who Machiavelli really was and why he remains important today. Few political philosophers -- are more often referred to and more often misunderstood than Machiavelli. He was truly a product of the Renaissance, and as much a revolutionary in the field of political philosophy as Leonardo or Michelangelo were in painting and sculpture. He watched his native Florence lose its independence to the French, thanks to poor leadership from the Medici successors to the great Lorenzo (Il Magnifico). Machiavelli was a keen observer of people, and he spent years studying events and people before writing his famous books. They were based on observations of human nature that were as perceptive as Shakespeare's. Machiavelli was modern in another sense: he was a self-made man. Descended from minor nobility, he grew up in a household that was run by an incompetent father. He was well educated and smart, and he entered government service as a clerk. He eventually worked his way to ambassador, where he learned the art of statecraft. He became an important figure in the Florentine state but was defeated by the deposed Medici and Pope Julius II. He was tortured but ultimately freed by the restored Medici. No longer employed, he retired to his home to write the books for which he is remembered. His great work The Prince was considered too dangerous to publish during his lifetime and was published only after Machiavelli's death.