THE PRINCE by Nicolo Machiavelli

was written in the early sixteenth century by Nicolo Machiavelli, a secretary to various Italian dignitaries.

I'd heard of "Prince Machiavelli" but didn't know what it was. This is not a novel. This is a "how to" book for nobles of the day to acquire and keep property and power. It's a no nonsense guide to smart moves likely to gain you what you want, and bad moves likely to cost you your property and possibly your life. Frequently it's not just your life, either, but the lives of your whole family so there are no legal heirs to your estate.

The book is not long, 51 pages (e-text). And while it deals with much we would consider horrendous, it's not gory at all. It's just simple and straight forward guidelines. They are general guidelines, not usually specific: that part the noble has to figure out for himself in his particular situation.

I enjoyed reading this book, I enjoyed learning more about the mindset of the time period. It does get boring as you get nearer the end, as it is just a set of guidelines that don't really pertain to modern day readers. If you are interested in getting a better understanding of the mindset of feudal lords, it's well worth reading, especially since you can download it free from Project Gutenberg.