The Essential Art of War [Hardcover]

Sun-Tzu Ping-Fa (Author), Ralph D. Sawyer (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2005

Ralph D. Sawyer is the preeminent scholar and translator on Sun-tzu's masterful work. More than 200,000 copies of his Sun-tzu Art of War and more than 55,000 copies of The Complete Art of War have been sold. The Art of War is the most famous study of strategy ever written and has had an extraordinary influence on the history of warfare. The Essential Art of War brings Sun-tzu's classic work to a new, uninitiated readership. This clear and compact volume presumes no prior knowledge of the subject and presents only the material that is essential to understanding this text. Using his best-selling Art of War translation as the centerpiece, Sawyer has re-approached every chapter to include an introduction and closing commentary that deliver the key concepts. An introduction to the volume on the relevance of Sun-tzu's teachings, a chronology, historical background on the translation itself, and a bibliographic essay are also included. The Essential Art of War is presented in an attractive 208-page hardcover volume with foiled jacket, stamped case, and ribbon marker, in a convenient gift size.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Ralph D. Sawyer, one of America’s leading scholars in Chinese warfare, has worked extensively with major intelligence and defense agencies. After studying at MIT and Harvard and a brief stint of university teaching, Sawyer has spent the past thirty years lecturing and doing international consulting work focused on China.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465072046
• ISBN-13: 978-0465072040
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #529,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple enough for even an Amazon reviewer to understand, December 18, 2004

By 

Stratiotes Doxha Theon "2 Thes 2:15" (Richmond, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Art of War: (Miniature book) (Hardcover)

This is *the* classic work on military theory and practice. There is no rival so compact and yet complete. It should be required reading and understanding for any member of the armed services and for all Amazon reviewers.

Personally, I prefer the Giles translation (0486425576) but I had to comment here to counter some of the unstudied comments made to date. In the case of Sun Tzu, smaller is better. Other translations are packed with the commentary of people trying to explain what Sun Tzu meant. It is far better to study Sun Tzu and think for yourself first, then see what others had to say. Try not to overanalyze too soon or you will miss the simple yet profound insight of this most brilliant of military thinkers.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Small, March 10, 2007

By 

Adam I. Arshansky - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of War: (Miniature book) (Hardcover)

Alot of the important writings were left out of this book. It was a bad idea not to read the review before buying.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Strategic Placement., November 17, 2005

By 

Butch (From the American Heartland.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Essential Art of War (Hardcover)

If you are new to Sun Tzu then this is a very good place to start. It includes much of the original text and has many helpful insights from a true student of Sun Tzu, Ralph D. Sawyer. Ralph is a former student at Harvard and MIT, and a recognized expert in Military and Strategic Studies. Ralph uses his own well respected translation of Sun Tzu's book as the core for this essential edition. This version is for the modern reader. Such a book may or may not appeal to the purist, to the scholar-though it might, but to the lay reader like me this is definitely my cup of tea. I have a complete translation but somehow I just never have found the time to really dive into it. This essential version is just what I needed. This is not milk, this is meat, the prime cut. Sun Tzu, like Lao Tzu-the writer of the "Tao Te Ching"-The Bible of Taoism, can be quite enigmatic and paradoxical at times, especially for the Western reader such as myself. Sun Tzu was a man of great subtlety, a genius.

The Art of War is the earliest known codification of military and political strategy. It is requirred reading in the United States War College. Generals sleep with it on their nightstand. Business leaders read it. Politicians read it. Wannabe leaders read it. Some quotes:

Warfare is the Tao (Way) of deception.
Attack where they are unprepared.
No country has ever profited from protracted warfare.
Conquer those who are easy to conquer.
Race forth where the enemy does not expect it.
Be tranquil and obscure.
Do not move unless it is advantageous.

Sounds a little like Chess to me.

Sun Tzu's the "Art of War" though written well over two-thousand years ago was the beginning of modern military science. The "essential" core is still pertinent today. I should add that this edition is made to be read; it has a hardcover with high quality paper, is easy to read without my reading glasses, and has a very nice ribbon marker.