Philosophy · Similar reads
Books like The Prince
The best books like The Prince are The Art of War, Meditations, and The Obstacle Is the Way. The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is about power, political realism, leadership. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- The Art of War
01
Sun Tzu · Philosophy
The Art of War is a Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu, a general and strategist believed to have lived in the fifth century BCE.
Both dig into leadership.
Read the summary → - Meditations
02
Marcus Aurelius · Philosophy
Meditations is not a book Marcus Aurelius wrote for anyone to read.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - The Obstacle Is the Way
03
Ryan Holiday · Philosophy
The Obstacle Is the Way is Ryan Holiday's translation of Stoic philosophy into a practical guide for dealing with hardship.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary →
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
04
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari · History
Sapiens traces the full arc of human history from the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa roughly 70,000 years ago to the present.
Both dig into power.
Read the summary → - Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
05
Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
Nassim Nicholas Taleb · Philosophy
Skin in the Game is Taleb's argument that people who don't bear the consequences of their decisions should not be trusted, respected, or given power over others.
A kindred philosophy read.
Read the summary → - Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights
06
Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights
Graham Allison et al. · Politics
Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights compiles the views of Singapore's founding prime minister on the major strategic questions of the early twenty-first century.
Shares leadership and statecraft with The Prince.
Read the summary → - Lenin
07
Victor Sebestyen · Biography
Victor Sebestyen's Lenin is a biography that aims to restore the man behind the mythology — both the Soviet mythology that made him a saint and the anti-communist one that made him a simple monster.
Shares power and leadership with The Prince.
Read the summary → - Beyond Good and Evil
08
Friedrich Nietzsche · Philosophy
Beyond Good and Evil is Nietzsche's assault on the philosophical tradition he had been trained in and had grown to distrust.
Both dig into power.
Read the summary → - On the Genealogy of Morality
09
Friedrich Nietzsche · Philosophy
On the Genealogy of Morality is Nietzsche's most rigorously argued work — three sustained essays that trace the historical origins of moral concepts he believes we have inherited without examining.
Both dig into power.
Read the summary → - A People's History of the United States
10
A People's History of the United States
Howard Zinn · History
Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, first published in 1980, retells American history from the perspective of those who rarely appear in conventional textbooks: Native Americans, enslaved people, industrial workers, women, immigrants, and dissidents of various kinds.
Both dig into power.
Read the summary → - A Promised Land
11
Barack Obama · Memoir
A Promised Land is the first volume of Barack Obama's presidential memoirs, covering his 2008 campaign through the first two and a half years of his presidency, ending with the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
Both dig into leadership.
Read the summary → - Accelerate
12
Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim · Business
Accelerate is the research-backed account of what actually makes software delivery teams fast without sacrificing stability.
Both dig into leadership.
Read the summary →
Books like The Prince: quick answers
What are the best books like The Prince?
The best books like The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli are The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Prince, such as power, political realism, leadership.
What should I read after The Prince?
A natural next read after The Prince is The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Both dig into leadership. Other strong choices are Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.
What books are similar to The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli?
The Prince centers on power, political realism, leadership. Books with a similar feel include The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master's Insights by Graham Allison et al. — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
