Du contrat social vs The Prince: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Science politique, Political science, Early works to 1800, Philosophy, Classic Literature, Fiction
Du contrat social
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The Social Contract, originally published as On the Social Contract; or, Principles of Political Right (French: Du contrat social; ou, Principes du droit politique), is a 1762 French-language book by the Genevan…
The Prince
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The Prince (Italian: Il Principe [il ˈprintʃipe]; Latin: De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Prince has the widest readership — 399010 ratings behind its score.
- The Prince reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 376 times.
Scores by source
| Du contrat social | The Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.8 (399010) |
| Hardcover | — | 2.8 (2) |
| Google Books | — | 3.5 (10) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (1347) |
Reception
| Du contrat social | The Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 5 | 399010 |
| Editions | 216 | 1407 |
| Citations | 67 | 376 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 402278 |
| Reading it now | — | 39038 |
| Written reviews | — | 17503 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 33876 |
| Pages | 184 | 176 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Du contrat social or The Prince?
Du contrat social has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Du contrat social 3.9/5, The Prince 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Du contrat social or The Prince?
The Prince is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Prince (176 pages, ≈ 3 h 16 m); Du contrat social (184 pages, ≈ 3 h 24 m).
Which is harder to read: Du contrat social or The Prince?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Du contrat social: Demanding; The Prince: Demanding.