The Art of War (Shambhala Classics)

Widely regarded as "The Oldest Military Treatise in the World," this compact little book, written more than 2,500 years ago, today retains much of its original authoritative merit. American officers during World War II read it closely. The Japanese army studied the work for decades, and many twentieth-century Chinese officers are said to have known the book by heart. Maintaining that "all warfare is based on deception" and that "in war . . . let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns," the author adds: "That general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack." Principles of strategy, tactics, maneuvering, communication, and supplies; the use of terrain, fire, and the seasons of the year; the classification and utilization of spies; the treatment of soldiers, including captives, all have a modern ring to them. The author even provides rules for the "blitzkrieg," prefacing them with the words that "rapidity is the essence of war." Still a valuable guide to the conduct of war, this volume will be indispensable to military students and of interest to all those fascinated by military history. Unabridged republication of the edition published by The Military Service Publishing Company, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1944.
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TIME Goes to War

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The Art of War

Review of The Art of War by Sun-tzu

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The Art of War (Books) Management - General Business & Economics - This classic of military strategy includes a detailed introduction &...	Barnes & Noble	$5 $4.45 Coupon 2 coupons available Code:No Code Required Detail: Free Shipping on orders of $25 at Barnes & Noble Expires:Jun-30-2010 Restriction:see site for more details Code:J7M3C9V Detail: 20% off single item when you use Master card at Barnes & Noble Expires:Dec-31-2009 Restriction:Unknow	See it
The Art of War Widely regarded as "The Oldest Military Treatise in the World," this compact little book, written more than 2,500...	24 reviews	$0.25 Free Shipping	See it
The Art of War (Shambhala classics) Pages: 96, Paperback, Dover Publications	Amazon 11,406 reviews	$4.95 Coupon 1 coupon available Code:No Code Required Detail: FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon. Expires:Dec-31-2010 Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.	See it
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Recent Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-21-2009; The gold standard; I've read at least one other translation of this work and the Samuel B. Griffith translation is much preferred. By comparison his language is elegant, almost bordering on poetry compared to the dry prose of another writer's newer...; read full review | report as inappropriate

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-10-2009; perfect from a simple style; i find sun tzus approach to be a smart and possibly a more simpleapproach to warfare..his approach has a lot of the basic human hunter style tactics in it..an out standing read for anyone interested in self defense or modern warfare..its...; read full review | report as inappropriate

2/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-29-2009; Over-rated; This is a very popular book and comes highly recommended from many places. Sadly, I was unimpressed. Perhaps this particular translation is bad. I haven't read others do I can't comment on that aspect. However, this particular copy...; read full review | report as inappropriate

1/5: From: Amazon; Posted: May-18-2009; Who is this for, exactly?; So many people have recommended this book, and talk up its application to other areas of life outside of war (e.g. business). I figured it was time to see what the hype was about, so I gave the Librivox audio version a try.I'm having a...; read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Aug-21-2009; The gold standard; I've read at least one other translation of this work and the Samuel B. Griffith translation is much preferred. By comparison his language is elegant, almost bordering on poetry compared to the dry prose of another writer's newer...; read full review | report as inappropriate

3/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Nov-23-2008; 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...; read full review | report as inappropriate

2/5: From: Amazon; Posted: Jul-29-2009; Over-rated; This is a very popular book and comes highly recommended from many places. Sadly, I was unimpressed. Perhaps this particular translation is bad. I haven't read others do I can't comment on that aspect. However, this particular copy...; read full review | report as inappropriate