The Art of War - Hardcover

Sun Tzu

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1841933589 ISBN 13: 9781841933580

Publisher: Arcturus Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

Sun Tzu said: "Let your plans be dark & impenetrable as night, & when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.' Wrotten around the 6th century BC, The Art of War is one of the oldest books about war & mliteary stragey, & probably the best. Above all, it teache syou how, when the battle commences, to think on your feet & catch your enemy off guard. This book first found a European audience when it was translated into French in 1782 & since then its readers have included Napoleon, Genreral MacArthur, Montgomery, Mao Zedong & General Paul K. Van Riper, who helped plan Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm. The lessons of The Art of War still apply & its ancient wisdom shows you how to secure your objectives in business, sport & other areas of modern life. This beautiful collector's edition features autentic illustrations & is ideal for anyone who wants to outthik & outflank the opposition.

About this title

Review

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

From the Publisher

Here is a seminal work on the philosophy of successful leadership that is as applicable to contemporary business as it is to war. James Clavell has taken a 1910 translation and clarified it for the contemporary reader.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arcturus Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1841933589
• ISBN 13: 9781841933580
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 128