The writings of the ancient warrior Sun Tzu have provided tremendous wisdom to generations through the ages. Now these philosophies are available with anecdotal extracts by the author of Shogun and Noble House.
The Art of War is the Swiss army knife of military theory--pop out a different tool for any situation. Folded into this small package are compact views on resourcefulness, momentum, cunning, the profit motive, flexibility, integrity, secrecy, speed, positioning, surprise, deception, manipulation, responsibility, and practicality. Thomas Cleary's translation keeps the package tight, with crisp language and short sections. Commentaries from the Chinese tradition trail Sun-tzu's words, elaborating and picking up on puzzling lines. Take the solitary passage: "Do not eat food for their soldiers." Elsewhere, Sun-tzu has told us to plunder the enemy's stores, but now we're not supposed to eat the food? The Tang dynasty commentator Du Mu solves the puzzle nicely, "If the enemy suddenly abandons their food supplies, they should be tested first before eating, lest they be poisoned." Most passages, however, are the pinnacle of succinct clarity: "Lure them in with the prospect of gain, take them by confusion" or "Invincibility is in oneself, vulnerability is in the opponent." Sun-tzu's maxims are widely applicable beyond the military because they speak directly to the exigencies of survival. Your new tools will serve you well, but don't flaunt them. Remember Sun-tzu's advice: "Though effective, appear to be ineffective." --Brian Bruya
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The Best Traslation I got in many years!! The permanent and global chinese military theory from a classical author. Its style and content characteristics support the idea of one unique author. It is of very easy reading and very long full comprehension. It is like to be defoliating an artichoke or an onion. With each useful reading, more shades and perspectives are caught. That come to fruition in major richness, reading pleasure, agility and depth of thought. Other "Chinese" books give you a number of strategies (the 33, the 36, the 100,... more info
For Statesmen and Military Commanders This edition of Sun Tzu's Art of War is noteworthy for several reasons. The book was translated and edited by U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Samuel B. Griffith, who served in China and fought the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II. General Griffith provides useful annotations, while pointing out inconsistencies and uncertainties in the text. For this edition, he wrote sections on the influence of Sun Tzu on the Japanese and Chairman Mao Tse-Tung. As a bonus, this edition includes a later (and... more info
Overhyped book This book is overhyped. The "knowledge" tidbits are sometimes conflicting with each other. The book does have some common sense knowledge but there are lots of other ways to learn that information in straightforward then to go through the hard read. At the same time, the book is very thin. One could read it in a short amount of time and get the bragging rights to have read this book. Pick your choice.
Art of War I truly enjoyed this book. It is unlike any book I have ever read. But I found so many relevancies to my career, my journeys competing in pageant (which is a war within itself) and my life. When I heard it referenced by our President elect, while I was reading it, I knew I was right up there with the world's leaders. I recommend everyone from teens to adults read this book.
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