Niccolò Machiavelli
Tim Parks · 2009
Tim Parks's Penguin translation is the one I'd start with — crisp, direct, 'Machiavelli for today,' and it untangles his knottier sentences without dumbing them down. Punchier than the older versions while staying honest to the argument. This is where I'd start.
Peter Bondanella · 2005
Peter Bondanella's Oxford translation is the balanced middle — more readable than Mansfield, more careful than the punchy modern versions, with strong scholarly support. A great all-round study edition.
Harvey C. Mansfield · 1985
Harvey Mansfield's Chicago translation is the literalist's choice — it follows Machiavelli's Italian as closely as English allows, which makes it precise and occasionally choppy. The one for close study of what he actually wrote.
W. K. Marriott · 1908
W. K. Marriott's 1908 translation is public domain and free. A bit formal and dated, but complete and faithful. Free; fine for a first taste of a short book.
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