The Art of War: Sun Zi's Military Methods (Translations from the Asian Classics) (Hardcover)

~ Sun Zi (Author), Victor H. Mair (Translator)
Key Phrases: facile ground, desperate ground, intersecting highways, Sun Tzu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mair provides insight on how this manual came to exist." -- Indianapolis Star

"Lean, clear, all fustian removed." -- Donald Richie, Japan Times

"Mair's excellent new translation of Sunzi's (Sun Tzu) Art of War... brings a new, and extremely useful perspective to the text." -- Peter Lorge, Journal of Military History

Review

"After reading Victor Mair's elegant new rendering of the ancient text, I was left without any doubt that it is an important contribution to our understanding of both the meaning of the text itself and the evolution of Chinese military thought. While some translations in the past have been informed by philosophical studies or the translator's own personal experience of modern warfare and intelligence matters, what Mair brings to bear is a remarkable feel for the Chinese language of ancient times that results in lucid and persuasive renderings of many of the more enigmatic and obscure passages. He steers a judicious course between the free translation and the overly literal, and further aids our comprehension by providing a concise glossary explaining the key terms that appear in the text." -- David Graff, associate professor of history, Kansas State University

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (December 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231133820
• ISBN-13: 978-0231133821
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #390,974 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, authoritative, and well-researched edition, August 24, 2008

By	Sonshi.com "sonshi" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

Dr. Victor H. Mair's 2007 scholarly book, "The Art of War: Sun Zi's Military Methods" (published by Columbia University Press), provides not only an accurate translation of The Art of War but also the most recent research into its origin.

With a knack for Sinitic etymology, Sinitic lexicography, and the origins and evolution of Chinese script, Victor Mair pushed for Chinese language reforms in exceptional efforts such as how Chinese dictionaries should be best arranged. Dr. Mair's expertise allows him to break new ground in his Art of War translation and book which contains bold and original data, analyses, and theories. Like a scientist, he methodically asserts evidences to challenge our current knowledge and leaves us with renewed scholarship and appreciation for The Art of War. You won't regret owning this refreshing, authoritative, and well-researched edition.

Victor Mair is a professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Dartmouth College (where he was captain of the Dartmouth basketball team and tasked to guard Bill Bradley from Princeton), served in the Peace Corps in Nepal, and holds a master's degree from University of London and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He has taught at Kyoto University in Japan and at Sichuan University in China.

After much debate and discussion, we at Sonshi are ranking Victor Mair's "The Art of War: Sun Zi's Military Methods" the #1 Art of War edition; how rare a book that courageously stands up to centuries of established thought, proceeds to knock it down with sound logic and proof, and succeeds in convincing even the Old Guard to change their views.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, December 9, 2007

By	jimicahuenga - See all my reviews

Victor Mair is amazing! I own an older version of Sun Zi, and I have to say hands down that this is much more readable and insightful a piece of work. Mair is an excellent writer in his own right, and his expert scholarship is clear from the authoritative introduction, some 55 pages long but easy to read. I have devoured this book. It is hard to put down and it doesn't bog down. His translation is superior to the older Shambala edition. I enjoyed the discussion on putting the treatise into a historical and military context. Even the forward by another author, comparing Sun Zi with Clausewitz, is excellent, thought-provoking work. I think this moves Sun Zi scholarship forward but in a way that is also perfectly readable to the layman. Mair gives the more serious scholar ways to get more into the weeds in the notes section and in references to more academic papers he has done on the subject, which is fine by me.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested the Sun Zi, tactics, and Chinese philosophy.

15 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Translation, March 19, 2009

By	Jean-Paul Valois (Brussels, Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of War: Sun Zi's Military Methods (Translations from the Asian Classics) (Paperback)

Mair's new translation does a great job of making "The Art of War" readable while better imbuing it with the feel of the Classical Chinese original.

His explanations also shed new light on various aspects of this work by attempting to put it in broader context than many previous translators and annotators.

I still think that every enthusiast of "The Art of War" ought to read the annotated Lionel Giles translation at least once--but without question, Victor H. Mair has created a genuinely valuable new translation that is superior to the work of most other modern Sinologists who tackled Sunzi's enduring masterpiece.