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The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings of Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli · 1891

An English edition collecting Machiavelli's major works, including The Prince and the Discourses on Livy, translated in 1891.

An English collection of Machiavelli's major political and historical writings, including The Prince.

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The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings of Niccolò MachiavelliPDF · 482 pages
Niccolò Machiavelli, The Historical, Political, and Diplomatic Writings of Niccolò Machiavelli, vol. 2, translated by Christian E. Detmold, 1891.

About this source

What it is

This is volume two of a four-volume English translation of Machiavelli's writings, translated by Christian E. Detmold and published in Boston and New York in 1891. It contains The Prince and the Discourses on the first ten books of Titus Livius, among other works. The scanned copy is held via Cornell University Library.

Why it matters

This edition brought together several of Machiavelli's most important political writings in English, making his ideas about power, leadership, and republics widely accessible. It shows how his works were studied and valued centuries after he wrote them, as foundational texts of political thought.

Look closer

  • Why might publishers combine several of Machiavelli's works into one set of volumes?
  • What does the inclusion of a portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici in this edition suggest about the context of Machiavelli's writing?
  • How might translation choices shape the way English readers understand Machiavelli's original ideas?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Niccolo Machiavelli on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the 1550 Italian edition of Machiavelli's Il Principe, with the title and subtitles in black letters on aged paper, a woodcut portrait bust of a man holding a book, two oval emblems, and the date MDL at the bottom.Book

Primary source

The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli · 1513

Letter

Primary source

Letter to Francesco Vettori

Niccolò Machiavelli · 10 December 1513

Title page of an early printed book, 'Discorsi di Nicolo Machiavelli, Fiorentino, sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio', with a woodcut border showing a lion's head at top and a wolf standing on a ribbon inscribed 'DISSIMILIVM INFIDA SOCIETAS' below. Handwritten marks appear in the margins.Book

Primary source

Discourses on Livy

Niccolò Machiavelli · c. 1517, published 1531

Painting of a man with short dark hair in a black cloak with red sleeves and red collar, resting one hand on a stone ledge and holding a book in the other hand against a dark brown background.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli

Santi di Tito · late 16th century

Title page of a 1556 printed edition of Machiavelli's comedy Mandragola. Large capitals read MANDRAGOLA COMEDIA FACETISSIMA DI M. NICOLO MACHIAVELLI FIORENTINO, followed by Nuovamente corretta & Ristampata. A woodcut of a mandrake plant with roots and leaves is centered between the text. At the bottom reads IN FIORENZA MDLVI.Book

Primary source

The Mandrake

Niccolò Machiavelli · 1524

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