Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a Florentine statesman, writer, and political philosopher. His most famous writings are The Prince, The Discourses, The Florentine Histories, and The Art of War. Maurizio Viroli is professor emeritus of politics at Princeton University, professor of government at the University of Texas, Austin, and professor of political communication at the University of Italian Switzerland in Lugano. His many books include Niccolò's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli and How to Choose a Leader: Machiavelli's Advice to Citizens (Princeton).