This book investigates the discovery of a previously unknown translation by Thomas Hobbes, which serves as a primary source for understanding the intersection of political theory and wartime propaganda during the Thirty Years' War. Noel Malcolm, a distinguished historian of early modern thought, provides a rigorous analysis of this newly identified pamphlet. By situating the text within the context of Habsburg political strategy, Malcolm argues that this document offers critical insight into Hobbes's early intellectual development and the broader application of 'reason of state' in seventeenth-century Europe.

Scholars and historians recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of Hobbesian political thought and the history of political communication. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the meticulous archival research that supports Malcolm's conclusions.