Customer Reviews

The Art of War Box: Book and Card Deck (Book & Card Deck)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A new standard has been set. The Denma Translation Group's Sun Tzu rendering shows extraordinary accuracy; as stated in the book, they "argued over every word." We are quite impressed to see very little paraphrasing as well. And though this emphasis does sometimes break up the reading flow, the group did an admirable job minimizing its overall effects.

In addition to the translation, this book has the finest essays analyzing the many Art of War concepts. Not stopping there, the authors then skillfully explained each and every passage of Sun Tzu. The group's work was recently published in January 2001, but it took them a decade to complete. Wow. Based on Wu Chiu-lung's authoritative Sun Tzu deciphered from bamboo strips (dated 140 - 118 B.C.) found in 1972. Needless to say, we at Sonshi.com highly recommend this book.

As a student in International Diplomacy I must have read the Art of War in every phase of my education since being an undergraduate. Most books are simply the translation of the book, but no real explanation to go along with the text. Some give some side notes or a long introduction, but the text itself can be difficult and little or no help is given.
This is not the case with this edition, and that is why it is head and shoulders above all others I have looked at. It begins with a lengthy introduction to acquaint readers to the book and give some very necessary background information. Next is the full translation, GREATLY helped by the recently discovered bamboo remains of the book dug up in China, and there is no commentary in this section of the book. Which is excellent for people well acquainted with the work, people who want to read the work without the running commentary, students and scholars. Next are three sections designed to help the read fully understand the text in which they have just read. Not just the ideas about war, but it's applications in many other walks of life. These chapters explain difficult Chinese concepts, the idea of a sage leader, and many, many, other relevant topics.
Lastly, is the commentary. This is where the entire work is reviewed and detailed notes are given to help the reader understand the text LINE BY LINE!! It is not judgmental, while there is a slight bias, it is mostly informative. The bias does not distract from the educational part of the information, but it does need to be pointed out. I will not go into greater detail, the reader can extrapolate from the commentary if they feel there is a slight tinge of bias.
Overall this is the one and only edition of the Art of War you will ever need to own, unless you are going to venture into more scholarly pursuits on the subject and you want to review other peoples ideas surrounding the text. This book will be sufficient for 99.99% of the people in the general public. It is an exceptional effort.

This new translation of The Art of War offers a deeper view of victory--the "taking of the whole." It's the ultimate win-win strategy. How would a group of Buddhists, devoted to the principles of non-aggression and non-ego, approach conflict and warfare? By seeking victory over war itself! If conflict is inevitable in this world, let us seek its resolution with the least possible suffering. This is a unique book for readers who seek to apply profound strategic thought to helping the world, rather than conquering others.

I always enjoy a good philosophy book, and this version of the Ping-fa (Art of War) hit home for me. Although a bit different from the commonly accepted Samuel Griffith 1963 version in the sense the words are translated more literally from the original chinese, it's still not that hard to read.
Not only that, but the essays do well to reinforce some of Sun Tzu's more important ideologies (i.e. Shih).
This version was well done and still honest to the Chinese version, so that's a plus in my eye.
I'd advise the reader, should you want to really grasp the book's key concepts, that you read the essays in Section 2 before the text itself, as it makes more sense in that order.

This book is like knowing a wise elder who has seen it all and can give you all the relationship wisdom you'll ever need if you have the patience to listen. In reading and rereading slowly, its wealth of insights and pith instructions have gradually begun to take seed in my awareness. The result is an expansion of what I'm willing to consider and include in the mix when I approach a problem. This is what the authors call "taking whole" and it surprisingly leads to greater relaxation and even enjoyment in the face of potential conflict. How does this relate to war (something I have no interest in, by the way)? It truly allows "victory over war" itself because when I am in conflict with you, I include your interests along with mine and so we're both on the same side!
My favorite part of the book is the essays which are so insightful that I plan to use them in the psychology courses I teach. The translation sections are great to read in short bits letting their wisdom take seed and flower at odd times like while driving or in the shower. For that reason, this is a book worth owning. I've given a few copies as gifts to people who balked at the title (because they're like me and can't imagine being interested in war) and then fell in love with the wisdom and the great opening it creates in relationships.

I'm new to "The Art Of War" but after going to the local bookstore I decided to pick up this copy. It has a small size, is made of high quality materials and appears to have a lot of useful additional information. And for all that the price is very nice, even when paying full price. When I began to read this I found that while the translation is supposed to be sparse and allow the original text to be read as closely as possible in another language the actual text is so spartan to be nearly unreadable by someone who is new to the text. Even when reading the portion with commentary the commentary was almost as spartan. What I have ended up doing is reading this along with another version and I have found that I am getting quite a bit more out of it than I would have with just one version or the other alone. The introduction and essays are well written but I my review is to point out that this version of "The Art Of War" is not for "newbies". If you have read this before and are looking for more this is for you, if you are new to this text I would suggest picking up another version before tackling this one.

The book arrived in my hands just as I began the final stages of negotiations on some tough but exciting new businesses I've begun. I've been in politics and public life for 25 years, and these are the most challenging circumstances I have yet been involved in.

The translation and commentary resonate like a bell, and the ringing accompanies every minute of my days.

There's a sense of wonder to the Denma Group's attention to Sun Tzu. Their work is beautiful.

Those familiar with The Art of War will generally concede that this is not an easy text for the Western reader to digest. It is written from an Eastern cultural perspective in an almost mystical poetic style. The thing that makes this particular rendition so valuable is the excellent accompanying commentary and essays. After an introductory segment, the unfiltered text of the Sun Tzu is offered. Next come several essays to evaluate and explain the text, as well as possible modern applications of its teachings. Finally, the text is presented again, this time with explanatory comments after each portion. For anyone serious about trying to plumb the depths of the Sun Tzu, you should give this volume some serious consideration.

This is an excellent book. The strategies in this book are very flexible in nature, it can be applied to almost anything in life. This book deals with principles such as knowing oneself, knowing your opponent, knowing the context in which the conflict takes place, understanding order and chaos, obtaining information through spying, deception, timing, employing resources, leading people, as well as many other topics that I have not mentioned. Most important of all the Art of War shows the reader a different way of perceiving life.

I've read a few different translations of the Art of War and I found this one to be the most accessible. I'm not a scholar of ancient Chinese, so I have no idea whether or not it's the most accurate translation, but, for me, it is the easiest to get into. Not only is the translated text highly readable, but the essays included with the translation are brilliant. The essays bring a whole new level of understanding to the text. With this translation and the accompanying articles, you have a book that can change not only the way you think about conflict, but the way you engage in it as well.