Overview

Niccolò Machiavelli's Art of War is one of the world's great classics of military and political theory. Praised by the finest military minds in history and said to have influenced no lesser lights than Frederick the Great and Napoleon, the Art of War is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the history and theory of war in the West—and for readers of The Prince and Discourse on Livy who seek to explore more fully the connection between war and politics in Machiavelli's thought. Machiavelli scholar Christopher Lynch offers a sensitive and entirely new translation of the Art of War, faithful to the original but rendered in modern, idiomatic English. Lynch's fluid translation helps readers appreciate anew Machiavelli's brilliant treatments of the relationships between war and politics, civilians and the military, and technology and tactics. Clearly laying out the fundamentals of military organization and strategy, Machiavelli marshals a veritable armory of precepts, prescriptions, and examples about such topics as how to motivate your soldiers and demoralize the enemy's, avoid ambushes, and gain the tactical and strategic advantage in countless circumstances. To help readers better appreciate the Art of War, Lynch provides an insightful introduction that covers its historical and political context, sources, influence, and contemporary relevance. He also includes a substantial interpretive essay discussing the military, political, and philosophical aspects of the work, as well as maps, an index of names, and a glossary.

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9780226500409

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Reviews

"""Christopher Lynch has made the best and the first careful translation of Machiavelli's Art of War. With useful notes, an excellent introduction, an interpretive essay, glossary, and index, it is a treasure for readers of military history and Renaissance thought as well as for lovers of Machiavelli."" - Harvey. Mansfield, Harvard University; ""Lynch argues convincingly that Art of War's detractors have failed to approach the text in the right way.... If Machiavelli's works bear the mark of a preliberal age, his thought also transcends his age, not least his timeless warning about ideologies that, in the name of abstract principles, ask us to refrain from defending... the nation in which we actually live."" - Jacqueline Newmyer, Weekly Standard"""

Christopher Lynch has made the best and the first careful translation of Machiavelli's Art of War. With useful notes, an excellent introduction, an interpretive essay, glossary, and index, it is a treasure for readers of military history and Renaissance thought as well as for lovers of Machiavelli. - Harvey. Mansfield, Harvard University; Lynch argues convincingly that Art of War's detractors have failed to approach the text in the right way.... If Machiavelli's works bear the mark of a preliberal age, his thought also transcends his age, not least his timeless warning about ideologies that, in the name of abstract principles, ask us to refrain from defending... the nation in which we actually live. - Jacqueline Newmyer, Weekly Standard

Author Information

Christopher Lynch is assistant professor of political science at Carthage College.

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