Common Sense vs Prince: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Political science, Early works to 1800, Philosophy
Common Sense
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Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves – and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked…
Prince
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"The Prince" is the most controversial book about winning power - and holding on to it - ever written. Machiavelli's tough-minded, pragmatic argument that sometimes it is necessary to abandon ethics to succeed made his…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Prince has the widest readership — 399030 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Common Sense | Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (2802) | 3.8 (399030) |
| Hardcover | 5.0 (1) | 2.8 (2) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (2) | 3.5 (10) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (1364) | 4.0 (195) |
Reception
| Common Sense | Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2802 | 399030 |
| Editions | 171 | 183 |
| Citations | 999 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 55270 | 402008 |
| Reading it now | 12 | 39038 |
| Written reviews | 2802 | 17483 |
| Wikipedia attention | 291 | 9826 |
| Pages | 60 | 131 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Common Sense or Prince?
Common Sense has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Common Sense 4.0/5, Prince 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Common Sense or Prince?
Common Sense is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Common Sense (60 pages, ≈ 1 h 07 m); Prince (131 pages, ≈ 2 h 26 m).
Which is harder to read: Common Sense or Prince?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Common Sense: Demanding; Prince: Challenging.