Niccolo Machiavelli is the father of modern day political science. His life was dedicated to cultivating and implementing the tactics captured in his classic book, The Prince. Many political leaders and businessmen today read The Prince in search of strategy for the business and the nation. This Critical Classic is a must-read for anyone studying business or politics.

Michael Ashley (a.k.a. Mash), is Founder & Chief Technology Officer at FastPencil, Inc. which helps authors connect, write, publish and distribute books with just a few clicks. He is a successful entrepreneur with over 12 years experience in web applications and Internet publishing. Mash is responsible for innovation and product strategy at FastPencil. In this role, Mash has transformed the company from an online writing tool, to the only end-to-end social self-publishing platform with multi-channel, multi-format distribution. In his free time you can find him stand-up paddle surfing in his hometown, Santa Cruz.