Discourses on Livy
Niccolò Machiavelli
Own the e-book first — we’ll take $5 off the physical edition whenever you’re ready to add it to the collection.
About this edition
The book Machiavelli actually cared about. While The Prince gets the fame, the Discourses is where he laid out how republics really work — and why they fall.
The Discourses on Livy is Machiavelli's longer, deeper, and arguably more important work. Where The Prince advises one ruler on holding power, the Discourses examines how entire republics are built, maintained, and destroyed — using ancient Rome as the case study and Livy's history as the source text.
This is Machiavelli as political scientist, not political advisor. He analyzes why democracies decay into tyranny, why corruption is systemic rather than individual, why internal conflict can strengthen a republic (counterintuitively), and what makes some nations resilient while others shatter at the first crisis. The lessons apply to organizations, businesses, and any group of people trying to govern themselves.
THIS EDITION
- Ninian Hill Thomson translation — clear and readable
- Civil Savage Society cover and interior design
- ~420 pages | 6×9 trim | cream paper
- Available in paperback and hardcover
The Prince tells you how to take power. The Discourses tell you how to build something that lasts.
