Niccolò Machiavelli has a bad reputation. “Everyone hated him because of The Prince,” a friend observed around the time of his death—and the suspicion and hatred have barely abated in the 500 years since. However, Machiavelli’s writings are far more sophisticated than selective readings of the more hard-boiled passages of “The Prince” would seem to suggest. Far from being “an enemy of the human race”— as an English cardinal once called him— Machiavelli was a perceptive writer whose lessons on leadership, liberty, virtue, and good government we might do well to heed today. Ross King’s “Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power” places Machiavelli in the context of his times and examines his more positive legacy and influence.