"Sensible and useful... [Vivanti] sets forth the greatness of Machiavelli, not as a figure of his time, the Renaissance, but as a founder of modernity."
Harvey C. Mansfield, Wall Street Journal "Students well versed in the classics, the historian's vast writings and medieval history will most enjoy this academic biography."
Kirkus Reviews "[T]his graceful and informative biography should win many readers and ... Read moreis a welcome addition to Machiavelli scholarship... [R]ecommended for all scholarly collections."
Library Journal "Paints a complex picture of the circumstances that shaped the man whose name became synonymous with political cunning."
Karl Kunkel, ForeWord Reviews "[E]xcellent, and accessible to anyone interested in finding out more about Machiavelli."
Jonathan Powell, Prospect "Vivanti supplies a fascinating, concise guide to Machiavelli's life and work... [W]ell worth reading."
Joanna Kavenna, Spectator "[I]nformative and ... level-headed."
Keith Miller, Telegraph "Vivanti offers a comprehensive analysis of the thought of Machiavelli situated against the backdrop of political and biographical developments in the early 16th century... Few writers possess better qualifications to write this study."
Choice "Niccolo Machiavelli: An Intellectual Biography will appeal to a wide audience, since the style is easy-to-read and the content broad but focused. Anyone interested in this period of history (15th and 16th century Europe) or political philosophy will find Vivanti's work a useful guide and a stimulating read."
Economics and Philosophy Blogspot "Corrado Vivanti's learned intellectual biography reinforces [an] image of Machiavelli as a misunderstood forerunner of the Italian Risorgimento, calling for the redemption of Italian republicanism four centuries before the final reunification of the Italian states."
Michael Ignatieff, The Atlantic "Corrado Vivanti's intellectual biography is a masterful piece of scholarly writing and a fine corollary to the author's long commitment to the world of Machiavelli studies... [T]his translation of Vivanti's study nicely displays the liveliness and intensity of Machiavelli's thought in the context of a changing European world... Niccolo Machiavelli: An Intellectual Biography [is] a work for posterity."
Mauricio Suchowlansky, Renaissance and Reformation "[A] fine exposition of Machiavelli's life and works."
Vickie B. Sullivan, The Historian "A remarkable contribution to the English-language literature on the thought and life of the Florentine secretary. Vivanti is the editor and annotator of the three volume complete works of Machiavelli, Opere (Milan 1997-2005). An outgrowth of this earlier work, it weaves into a seamless narrative the notes, commentary and critical introductions that Vivanti brought to the Opere."
Bendetto Fontana, European History Quarterly Show Less