Niccolo Machiavelli taught that political leaders must be prepared to do evil that good may come of it & his name has been a byword ever since for duplicity & immorality Is his sinister reputation deserved? In answering this question Quentin Skinner focuses on three major works The Prince the Discourses & The History of Florence & distils from them an introduction to Machiavelli's doctrines of exemplary clarity ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable