Amazon.com
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
Présentation de l'éditeur
ON THE ART OF WAR is the oldest
surviving book on military strategy ever
written, penned in the 6th century BC by Sun
Tzu, who was a heroic general whose many
victories cannot be easily counted.
Each section of the book is devoted to one
aspect of warfare, and it has long been
praised as the definitive work on military
strategies and tactics of its time.
As the first and one of the most successful
works on strategy, it has also had a huge
influence on Eastern and Western military
thinking, business tactics, and beyond.
surviving book on military strategy ever
written, penned in the 6th century BC by Sun
Tzu, who was a heroic general whose many
victories cannot be easily counted.
Each section of the book is devoted to one
aspect of warfare, and it has long been
praised as the definitive work on military
strategies and tactics of its time.
As the first and one of the most successful
works on strategy, it has also had a huge
influence on Eastern and Western military
thinking, business tactics, and beyond.
