The New Machiavelli quotes liberally from The Prince and imitates its quaint style throughout. The book offers thoughtful perspectives on many modern business topics--starting a business, mounting an unfriendly takeover, managing people, controlling costs, handling public relations. Yet, Machiavellian it is not. Where the master endorsed dishonesty as though he had read Bill Clinton's popularity ratings, McAlpine warns would-be tycoons that cheaters never prosper. In The New Machiavelli, moralism lives.
Its imitation of Machiavelli's rhetorical style keeps it wonderfully free of modern management jargon. Occasionally its insights strike home with eloquence. Surely everyone in business has sometimes lain awake at night running spreadsheet numbers in his or her head. All will recognize the wisdom of McAlpine's advice, "Under no circumstances should the businessperson engage in mental arithmetic after sunset." --Barry Mitzman