On Tyranny vs The Prince: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Political ethics, Political science, Essays, History
On Tyranny
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In previous books, Holocaust historian Timothy Snyder dissected the events and values that enabled the rise of Hitler and Stalin and the execution of their catastrophic policies. With Twenty Lessons, Snyder draws from…
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
- Readers rate On Tyranny highest: On Tyranny 4.3 · The Prince 3.8.
- The Prince has the widest readership — 399010 ratings behind its score.
- The Prince runs the darker storyline; On Tyranny stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| On Tyranny | The Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (117928) | 3.8 (399010) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (345) | 2.8 (2) |
| Google Books | 2.5 (2) | 3.5 (10) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (984) | 4.0 (1347) |
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Reception
| On Tyranny | The Prince | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 117928 | 399010 |
| Editions | 21 | 1407 |
| Citations | — | 376 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 164758 | 402278 |
| Reading it now | 12910 | 39038 |
| Written reviews | 16421 | 17503 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2599 | 33876 |
| Pages | 128 | 176 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: On Tyranny or The Prince?
On Tyranny has the higher combined reader rating across sources (On Tyranny 4.3/5, The Prince 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: On Tyranny or The Prince?
On Tyranny is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: On Tyranny (128 pages, ≈ 2 h 22 m); The Prince (176 pages, ≈ 3 h 16 m).
Which is harder to read: On Tyranny or The Prince?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — On Tyranny: Moderate; The Prince: Demanding.