This is easily one of ten most influential books in my life. The author traces the origins and development of 16th-century Italian political thought and its transmission to a very different political culture in 17th-century England, painting a very thorough picture of how different thinkers wrestled with their own and each others' frameworks for understanding, interpreting, and discussing the political worlds they inhabited. The book is very tough going - Pocock's style is not the easiest to read - but if you get through it, it will dramatically alter and expand your understanding of political thinking.