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The Illustrated Art of War

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Thought I provide some facts about this edition of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, translated by Samuel B. Griffith. The translation in this book is the same as the UNESCO edition (ISBN 0195015401,) but there are some differences in the contents.

Removes Appendix III. Sun Tzu in Western Languages
Removes Appendix IV. Brief Biographies of the Commentators
Removes the Maps
Adds seventy-five images
Pages are in a satin texture

In addition, this translation was done earlier than the findings from 1972, however, the analysis and commentary is top notch, so I would definitely recommend reading this and additional more up to date translation to complement.

I do not recall the first time I read Sun Tzu's The Art of War but it must have been at least 35 years ago. Frankly, during that first reading, I saw no relevance of any of his various strategies to the business world. Nor did I have any interest whatsoever in a military career. What fascinated me then were Sun Tzu insights concerning the importance of deception: when small, seem great...and vice versa; when far away, seem near...and vice versa; when exhausted, seem robust...and vice versa. Etc. Of course, I failed to realize at that time that the Viet Cong, for example, effectively used many of the same strategies based on deception to defeat superior French and then US forces in what was then Indo-China. In fact, throughout preceding military history, there are countless other examples of warfare during which numerically inferior forces prevailed by exploiting advantages created by stealth, speed, hit-and-run attacks, etc.

What we have in this volume is Samuel B. Griffith's superb translation of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, accompanied by elegant illustrations and supplemented by informative background material which includes biographies of Sun Tzu (in Griffith's preface) and various commentators (in Appendix II). Also, and equally important, background information which establishes a frame-of-reference within which to gain a better understanding of the age during which Sun Tzu lived. I also appreciate the reader-friendly lay-out which juxtaposes primary text with pleasing illustrations and complementary sources.

As I recently read The Illustrated Art of War, I was again reminded of statistics which Michael Gerber provides in E-Myth Mastery: "Of the 1 million U.S. small businesses started this year [2005], more than 80% of them will be out of business within 5 years and 96% will have closed their doors before their 10th birthday." These are indeed chilling statistics. I wonder how many small companies which fail could have survived, if not prospered, had their owners/CEOs read and then effectively applied the strategies which Sun Tzu recommends.

Most (if not all) of those strategies are also relevant to much larger organizations. Consider what Jack Welch once said during one of GE's annual meetings when explaining why he admires small companies: "For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy." Of course, there are other editions of The Art of War (including one also featuring the Griffith translation) but I prefer this one for reasons previously indicated.

In recent years, there has been a number of excellent books which also examine many of the same strategies within a business context, notably Paul Flowers' Underdog Advertising, Jason Jennings' Less Is More and Think Big, Act Small as well as Robert Tomasko's Bigger Isn't Always Better: The New Mindset for Real Business Growth, Bo Burlingham's Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, Gerald Michaelson's Sun Tzu: The Art of War For Managers, and Mark McNeilly's Sun Tzu and the Art of Business.

It has to be a little strange that we are still reading Sun Tzu's book. It's been at least 2,000 years since it was written (We don't know exactly when it was written, most guesses are from 100 to 600 BCE.) and we really don't know if Sun Tzu even existed (Some say it was written by a group of unknown Chinese philosophers.)

You would think that the situations in ancient China would be so different that they would have no lesson at all to our modern times. Yet it turns out that the book is still read. It is read by military men, by atheletes, and by corporate executives.

The way it is written, the philosophies it expouses seem to have timeless meaning and when we read the words we recognize some things about our own situations, our own lives. Perhaps like the Bible, there are universal truths that do not dimish with time.

This is a beautiful edition of the book. It has the S. B. Griffith translation, combined with some 75 illustrations (mostly color). The illustrations are photographs, paintings, or art objects from China that keep in the spirit of the book and remind us of another culture as well as of another time.

This certainly is a cleanly translated version of Sun Wu's (Sun "Tzu" is but a nickname) "Soldier's Doctrine" (literal meaning of the characters commonly translated as "Art of War"). Also, the prefatory biographical and historical notes are most interesting. Unfortunately, the physical aspects of the production are not up to the high standards set by the text. To begin with, at the chosen page size, much of the print (mostly in the frequent, extensive footnotes) is so tiny that anyone over forty needs a magnifying glass to stomach it. Further, while every other page is bedecked by a beautiful color photograph of an ancient Chinese objet d'art, nowhere are captions (other than photographic credits in the end notes) provided, so I have no idea what I'm gawking at. I really can't think of a better edition of "The Art of War"--the recent Sweetwater Press conglomeration of five classic Asian texts into an oversized, ten-or-more-pound coffee-table edition doesn't pass my muster--but I wish the publisher had invested more thought into the physical production of what could be an outstanding volume but, ultimately, emerges as merely very good.

This edition makes for a terrific gift for the college graduate. The illustrations and photos add visual interest; the text layout makes for "easy" reading. Although we already own several editions of this classic, this will be added to our personal collection.

For some reason Amazon cannot get Sunzi right. The link to the audio edition of the Griffith translation is to a different translator's work. Some of the reviews here refer to Cleary's illustrated translation, not Griffith's. The link to paperback editions of this work are to Cleary's, not Griffith's etc.

Having said that, if you can figure out what edition is being offered, Griffith's translation offers many strengths. It is translated by someone who not only read the work, but practiced and theorized on unconventional warfare himself. There are questions as to whether his translation is perfectly accurate. It is said that the great Three Kingdoms strategist Cao Cao also misinterpreted the Sunzi in his commentary. So, while not strictly accurate to the letter, both enhanced the spirit.

There are other very good translations, Sawyer, Ames, etc. But Griffith's is the one I turn to first.

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Yahoo Egroup Sun_Tzu

The Warring States period Warring States Period 475-221 BCE is a history of constant warfare, of alliances and counter-alliances, and of treaties made and broken. The nature of warfare evolved during the period. During the Warring States period, political stability was impossible to gain by adventurous military action. With the advent of swelling ranks of soldiers, protracted sieges, and an ever increasing drain on state treasuries, warfare became a serious matter for study.

Thus, the opening remark of "The Art Of War" states--without exaggeration--war had become the most serious business of the state, the key to survival or ruin. The author of this and other pithy aphorisms on how to successfully fight a war was Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu scholars place his writing "The Art of War" in the Warring States Period, based on the descriptions of warfare in the text. The book has received great exposure in the west starting in the eighteenth century after being translated by a French missionary. It has been reported that Napoleon studied the text and effectively put many of its teachings to good use. For the past 2,000 years, it has been the most important military treatise in all of Asia, even known by name with the common people. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese military figures have studied it and employed its concepts to good effect. This is especially evident in the military tactics of 20th century revolutionaries like Mao Zedong and Ho Chi Minh.

The book is comprised of 13 chapters. The thesis of Sun's work is one should employ an army after a thorough analysis mandated by careful planning and the formulation of an overall strategy before embarking on a campaign. Sun emphasizes rational self-control, influenced by Daoist teachings throughout the book.

Chap 1-Laying Plans
18. All warfare is based on deception. 19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

Chap 6-Weak Points And Strong
8. Hence 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.

The best translation is the Samuel B. Griffith edition

As a Chinese, I can say that author grasp the essence of Art of war and the English is beautiful.

I see adiobook on this topic. What no one for this version? strongly suggest and if come out I would buy it firstly.

Well what is there to say its a great book its exactly what youd expect and at 20$ its an excellent addition to any bookshelf

This is a classic work on what works and doesn't work it war. It is from the 3rd century BC and cuts through the BS of modern war science. Must reading for all future Presidents, Secretaries of Defense and General Officers.