The Claremont Review of Books reviews The Suit by the pseudonymous Nicholas Antongiavanni. The book is patterned after Machiavelli’s Prince, down to the number of chapters.

Here’s a snippet of the review:

Just as Machiavelli boldly set forth the qualities a prince needed to obtain and maintain power, Antongiavanni recommends “dandification” as the virtù required at the highest reaches of business and politics, where it is survival of the best fitted. To those who would rule in these competitive worlds, Antongiavanni’s first and foremost counsel is to don a suit and tie, the timeless combination that reached its apogee in the 1930s. A triumph of design that harmoniously balances modesty and sexuality, conformity and individuality, simplicity in the whole with ornament in the details, the business suit is the perfect uniform for those who see their work as civilized combat. Indeed, long before anyone spoke of the “power suit,” bankers and lawyers on the streets of London could be seen going about like knights ready for battle, outfitted with armor (three-piece suit), helmet (bowler hat), sword (umbrella, never unfurled), and shield (copy of the Times). With this in mind, one should notice that the chief effect of business casual has been to strip men of the most aggressively masculine item in the Western wardrobe: the necktie.