Customer Reviews

Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Understanding Sun Tzu on The Art of War" is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the oldest military treatise in the history of the world. However, this book is much more than just the rehashing of old source material. Robert Cantrell's book delves into the material in a much more practical sense that lets the reader truly comprehend and utilize Sun Tzu's philosophy. Cantrell takes Sun Tzu's 2,500 year old philosophies and applies them to the 21st Century, using a contemporary voice that makes the Art of War much more accessible to today's reader. However, and very importantly, the book doesn't strip away Sun Tzu's words with modern terminology. This book manages to bring Sun Tzu into the 21st century without taking away his voice.

Reading Sun Tzu is a bit like reading Shakespeare. You can read it, but can you understand it? "Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War" allows you to fully appreciate and synthesize what Sun Tzu is all about.

If you are interested in Sun Tzu philosophy, or if you are interested in life strategies, Robert Cantrell's book is a must buy.

Published with permission, a review from Bob Spear, Heartland Reviews reads as follows: "As a retired military intelligence professional and conflict theorist, I must say this is the best interpretation of Sun Tzu's classic work I have read. The author focuses on the meanings behind this ancient Chinese war philosopher's writings. He puts them into a modern context, making them easy to understand. Apparently the Department of Defense agrees with me on this, since they have selected Mr. Cantrell's book as a text for the National War College in Washington DC. This is a must read for all military officers and business leaders. It rated a perfect five hearts."

Robert L. Cantrell's Understanding Sun Tzu On The Art Of War contains both the complete translated text of Sun Tzu's enduring classic on battle strategy, and a modern-day interpretation packed with advice on leadership, learning to keep one's intentions a secret from one's opponents, leveraging advantages as the key to victory, and a great deal more. An excellent resource for anyone seeking self-improvement through internalizing Sun Tzu's wisdom, Understanding Sun Tzu on the Art of War is thoughtful and thought-provoking reading of the highest order.

This is not religion; it is the nearly lost art of simplicity and common sense.

The depth, simplicity, and broad application to *all* areas of life, (I consider that self-defeating part of myself an enemy also) makes any translation of the Sun Tzu valuable. "Art of War' is sometimes translated as 'Art of Strategy'--both are apropos. It is so simple, yet so deep I believe I can learn *and* apply something of value no matter my mood, problem, or condition. This translation delves into a new and welcome area for me. Try many translations and work-books, that is my recommendation. Daily work books reinforce the teaching and compel me to put it to practical use for that day. This book is my third different translation and I am still learning vast amounts about myself and the world around me.

Example: China won the war of world financial dominance around 2005 and no one noticed. That is because they have no need to brag and "The greatest general wins without a battle." Learning how to win without a visible struggle is worth 100 time the price of each translation.

Dr. W.

In looking at the previous reviews, I would be out of place if I gave this book anything other than a 5 star rating. More importantly, I would be undervaluing it. The approach to the Art of War takes on a new perspective when the author brings into play the I Ching (Way of Life) to show the contrasting as well as similar viewpoints of these two powerful pieces of ancient literature that help us live our lives today. Cantrell's background certainly allows him to understand the interplay with modern business paradigms, but there is a deeper meaning that runs through his elucidative work here that affects every relationship you or I will have in our lives whether they be adversarial or cooperative. This book really does belong in everybody's library.

I am a soldier with ten years in the army and multiple combat deployments. I bought Mr. Cantrell's book because the ART OF WAR is the philosophical cornerstone of my profession and because this book had many good reviews. Having read Mr. Cantrell's book, however, I have no idea why people gave it so much praise. Sadly, authorship is increasingly being viewed as a source of income and people with little or no expertise are churning out all kinds of garbage just to make money. Mr. Cantrell got my money. Don't let him get yours too. Here's why:

This book was written in 2003 by a man whose professional military experience is limited to having been a platoon leader (lieutenant) in the 101st during peace time. To his credit, Mr. Cantrell also received his B.S. from Duke University, which is a good school. Most translations of the ART OF WAR, however (such as Cleary's and Griffith's), include commentaries by generals of near legendary stature: Cao Cao, Zhuge Liang, Liu Ji, and Du Mu, among others. Mr. Cantrell's credentials and experience are laughable in comparison. And, as expected, Mr. Cantrell's commentary and analysis add nothing to military science or the literature surrounding the ART OF WAR.

Mr. Cantrell's analysis consists of six principles culled from Sun Tzu's work:
winning whole
leading to advantage
deception
energy
strength and weakness
initiative

These principles are neither original nor comprehensive; they are merely copied from the text of the Art of War itself. Mr. Cantrell then uses examples to illustrate these concepts--e.g., a stanza from THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, historical fact as taken from David Lean's film LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, and several small historical vignettes. It's terrible. The introductions to the Cleary and Griffith translations of the ART OF WAR are both more insightful than this book.

There is a guy named Robert Greene who wrote two books, THE 48 LAWS OF POWER and THE 33 STRATEGIES OF WAR. Robert Greene has no military background at all, but both of his books are better than Cantrell's because at least Greene did some research.

Cantrell put forth little or no effort into the writing of this book, so when he credits his ROTC instructors and his mom and dad, it's hard to imagine what for.

I feel like a chump for having bought this book and my only consolation is that I have to read books like this for my professional development and every so often there are bound to be some duds. This is one of them. Save your money folks and go with either of the translations of the ART OF WAR I have referenced above. If you are looking for a book that applies Sun Tzu's teachings to business, law, negotiation, etc., this book won't be much help to you there either.

This book covered less of the history relating to Sun Tzu than I expected it to. It is a very short book, with only limited examples. If you are trying to seriously study sun tzu then I would recommend another copy,

The book is very good in summarizing the art of war important strategies. This one applies to all of the phases in life.

I've been meaning to read The Art of War for quite a few years but until recently I had never gotten around to it. To make matters worse, there are so many translations of The Art of War that I had no idea which one to get. Finally I just decided to get this one and I haven't regretted it. I can't compare to other translations, obviously, but I really liked the way the author of this book explained the meaning behind Sun Tzu's words and the historical context, without which I'm sure I would have walked away having learned a lot less. This book also contains canonical English literal translation of The Art of War in the back 1/3 of the book or so for those interested in reading that.

This analysis of Sun Tzu is great for anyone who has read The Art of War -- years ago, or months ago -- and not fully understood it. It's great for those who do already understand it!

Robert Cantrell gets to the heart of Sun Tzu without "dumbing down" the text, and he makes the text useful and does not simply substitute business phrases for the original text, which I've seen in other Sun Tzu books. Mr. Cantrell has also included a full translation of the original text.

I highly recommend this book.