Machiavellian: a person who adopts the principles recommended, or supposed to have been recommended, by Machiavelli in his treatise on statecraft; a person who practises expediency in preference to morality; an intriguer or schemer. Usu. derogatory.'

For more than five hundred years the name Machiavelli has resonated through the world of politics and power. He was an extraordinary man living in an extraordinary age: a brilliant thinker and theorist who was also a consumate diplomat. In this new biography of the Florentine political theorist and statesman, Michael White goes beyond our preconceptions to draw an objective picture of the author of THE PRINCE and THE ART OF WAR, who has been characterised for posterity as a corrupt, power-hungry demon whose works encouraged tyrants to kill and control. He does so by placing Machiavelli's remarkable life in the context of the Renaissance and its luminaries, such as the Borgias and Leonardo da Vinci.

* Review round ups in the national press.

About the Author
Michael White's books include the award-winning ISAAC NEWTON: THE LAST SORCERER and international bestsellers STEPHEN HAWKING: A LIFE IN SCIENCE (with John Gribbin) and LEONARDO: THE FIRST SCIENTIST.

Reviews
[Machiavelli] was a great thinker and a greater artist, and Michael White has done as much as anyone could to convince us of his genius * John Banville, IRISH TIMES *
He [Machiavelli] has been painted as a corrupt, cruel, vindictive social commentator with little time for human emotion, but White successfully argues that Machiavelli is actually an author of remarkable foresight who manages to assess the Realpolitik of * GLASGOW HERALD *
White's great gift as a writer is his ability to blow life into seemingly stodgy material. Renaissance politics isn't everyone's cup of tea, but White makes it manageable without dumbing it down. * MAIL ON SUNDAY *
A fantastic historical read. * DAILY EXPRESS *



Book Information
ISBN 9780349115993
Author Michael White
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Abacus
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 24mm