175 of 182 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A timeless classic that has practical application, February 20, 2001
I got this particular edition of Sun Tzu's Art of War at a strategy course for sales. I already had a copy of it at home, but this edition is so nicely done that I gave my old copy away and kept this one. The introduction of James Clavell is a nice touch.
It is amazing to me that this book is not read in high schools or colleges in favor of Machiavelli's work (The Prince or The Art of War.) Sun Tzu's writing is clear and to the point. Unlike the popular Book of Five Rings by Musashi, this book is not metaphorical and poetic; it's downright practical. And it's not hard to read, unlike many classics.
If you are doing business in China, this is also a good book to know. I mentioned some of the classic strategies while giving a course in China, and every member of the class had read it, knew it well, and gave me many examples from recent Chinese history where Sun Tzu's strategies were employed. This book is close to their hearts, and will give you insight if you are doing business in the East.
Of course, the most famous anecdote from this book is about gaining the obedience of troops; the emperor, wishing to interview Sun Tzu for the commission of general, asked if Sun Tzu's military principles could be applied to women. Sun Tzu replied yes, the principles worked for women as well as men. Accordingly, Sun Tzu was given the task of organizing the emperor's many concubines into an army. Sun Tzu lined up the concubines and set the two favorites as officers at the head of the columns.
He gave them a simple set of orders to march and drill (eyes front, right face, about face. The drums sounded and instead of following the commands, the girls simply giggled and blushed.
He repeated the orders again, saying that if the orders were not clear, it is first the fault of the general. He repeated the commands, and the girls simply stood and giggled again.
"If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders ARE clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers." Upon saying this, he ordered the two concubines at the head of the troop, favorites of the emperor, to be beheaded.
The emperor hurriedly sent down the command to stop, he had no desire to see his favorites executed. The emperor said "We are satisfied that the general knows how to command."
But Sun Tzu said, "Once having received the commission, there are certain commands I am unable to accept." And he ordered the two favorites to be beheaded. Once again, he gave the commands. The concubines marched, whirled about and drilled in perfect order. The emperor appointed Sun Tzu general.
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62 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the Best Choice, August 25, 2006
This particular edition of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" is a bare literal translation prefaced by a rather wordy introduction that pads the book up to a total of 96 pages. While the translation is not bad, the book contains no explanations or notes to enlighten the readers on some of the more obscure points, such as the modern equivalents of ancient Chinese distance measures.
The one sentence review, pronouncing this to be the best translation, was perhaps a bit generous. Among both military and history buffs, the prevailing view is that the translation by Lionel Giles, of the British Museum, is the definitive translation. Of the various available editions of the Giles translation, the Special Edition that contains two complete copies of the English text - one with and one without extensive notes and commentary - in addition to the complete text in Chinese characters - is far and away the best.
The $4.95 price for this book (or for the matchbox size miniature edition from Running Press) is a bargain only for those who are more concerned with price than with value. Choosing a better edition of "The Art of War", rather than this rather skimpy edition, will be money well spent. It is far better to own a book you can be proud of and which does a better job of informing you than this merely passable edition.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
2500 Years. Still Necessary., November 17, 2003
The Art of War was originally intended for reading by ancient China's ruling military elite, and not lowly commoners such as us. It is one of the few great books people seem to be universally familiar with, and for good reason.
The struture is blindingly simple - Sun Tzu writes short chapters about different areas of battle which consist of simple dictums. Utterly straightforward, and generalisable to any form of conflict.
Surface-reading this book will take you minutes, not hours - however, time must be spent with even the barest of his principles. The purchase of this book has become alarmingly trendy over recent years, but with no noticeable effect on the global intelligence of its middle manager market. Books like this do not read themselves.
A more accurate edition would have gained 5 stars without a second thought. The fact that much better versions are available (and freesource!) holds this version back.
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