Leviathan vs The Prince: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Science politique, Ouvrages avant 1800, Political science, Early works to 1800, Essays, Philosophy
Leviathan
Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, from 1651, is one of the first and most influential arguments towards social contract. Written in the midst of the English Civil War, it concerns the structure of government and society and…
vs
The Prince
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…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Prince is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for Leviathan.
- The Prince has the widest readership — 399010 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Leviathan | The Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (54811) | 3.8 (399010) |
| Hardcover | — | 2.8 (2) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | 3.5 (10) |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (10) | 4.0 (1347) |
Reception
| Leviathan | The Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 54811 | 399010 |
| Editions | 99 | 1407 |
| Citations | — | 376 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 112826 | 402278 |
| Reading it now | 4765 | 39038 |
| Written reviews | 1675 | 17503 |
| Wikipedia attention | 67796 | 33876 |
| Pages | 299 | 176 |