Records the Italian statesman's classic statement on the nature of government and the means by which political power is obtained.

The complete text of Machiavelli's best-known work, along with excerpts from some of his other writings and letters, and critical essays by J. R. Hale, Felix Gilbert, Leo Strauss, and others.

"This book collects some two dozen pieces from bestselling author Adam Hochschild, written over the past 25 years. All have been published before, most in the New York Review of Books but also in the New Yorker, Harper's, Mother Jones, and elsewhere. They are a mixture of essays about books, authors, one film, and the writing of history and on-the-ground journalism based on reporting from India, Africa, and elsewhere"--Provided by publisher.

"In a series of poignant vignettes, a preeminent historian makes a compelling case for Machiavelli as an unjustly maligned figure with valuable political insights that resonate as strongly today as they did in his time. Whenever a tempestuous period in history begins, Machiavelli is summoned, because he is known as one for philosophizing in dark times. In fact, since his death in 1527, we have never ceased to read him to pull ourselves out of torpors....

"When Louis XVI presented Benjamin Franklin with a snuff box encrusted with diamonds and inset with the King's portrait, the gift troubled Americans: it threatened to "corrupt" Franklin by clouding his judgment or altering his attitude toward the French in subtle psychological ways. This broad understanding of political corruption--rooted in ideals of civic virtue--was a driving force at the Constitutional Convention. For two centuries the framers'...

One in six Americans have stopped talking to close friends and family members over politics. Ideological polarization is at higher levels than at any time since the Civil War. America has developed a habit of seeing people who disagree with us not as merely incorrect or misguided, but as worthless. Brooks shows that treating others with contempt and out-outraging the other side is not a formula for lasting success. He offers a new way to lead based...

"Facts are and must be the coin of the realm in a democracy, for government "of the people, by the people and for the people," requires and assumes to some extent an informed citizenry. Unfortunately, for citizens in the United States and throughout the world, distinguishing between fact and fiction has always been a formidable challenge, often with real life and death consequences. But now it is more difficult and confusing than ever. The Internet...

Former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader. Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to...