Machiavelli in Hell

Not everything was entirely new to me here, since I feel I am already reading Machiavelli appropriately. But lots of new details I didn’t notice in my own readings. De Grazia draws out all the threads, from morality, to politics, to religion, to love, to literature. De Grazia is a master guide to the writings of Machiavelli. It’s a thematic biography, though, not chronological. I was glad I read Machiavelli: His Life and Times by Lee before I read this one. Lee’s biography is a little long in parts but gives a good view of Machiavelli’s life, birth to death. I also read The Prince and the Discourses on Livy before I picked up this book. I don’t know how anyone could evaluate what de Grazia was saying in this book without show more reading Machiavelli first, at least The Prince. Even having read The Prince and the Discourses, there was so much here that I missed. De Grazia is also very fair to Machiavelli. He doesn’t screw everything up by trying to make Machiavelli part of some scheme to overthrow morality, or Western civilization, or something. You kind of have to know Machiavelli to know how that’s not true. At the same time, this book was enjoyable, and makes me want to read more. show less

Too academic for my purposes. 6 or more pages devoted to a single line from an epithet.