Sun Tzu: Art of War (History and Warfare) (Paperback)

by Sun Tzu (Author), Ralph D. Sawyer (Translator) "OF THE Seven Military Classics only Sun-tzus Military Strategy, traditionally known as the Art of War, has received much exposure in the West..." (more)
Key Phrases: nine terrains, dispersive terrain, entrapping terrain, Sun Wu, Art of War, King P'ing (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This new translation of the ancient Chinese military treatise includes chapters of historical analysis touching on its relevance to today's corporate environment.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"The Most Accurate, Concise, And Usable English-Language Translation Available."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (February 10, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081331951X
• ISBN-13: 978-0813319513
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #55 in	Books > History > Asia > China
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, Good Translation, April 15, 2002

By	J. Straub (Cleveland Heights, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are two critical things to consider when deciding to purchase a book such as the Art of War: the first being the content / author of the book and the second being the translator. This book deserves 5 stars for both. Sun Tzu's Art of War is the de facto standard on military strategy, and Sawyers translation and reference material take the work to new heights. Sawyer has a strong grasp of the material -- and discusses (through the introduction and footnotes) the times and military methods that brought about this brilliant work. The book has a number of minor typographical errors (such as lines of text that appear as the last line of one page, and the first line of the next) but overall these errors are minor annoyances at worst.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE text on Relational-Maneuver Warfare, October 2, 2004

By	Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are two basic types of warfare: attrition and relational-maneuver. This ancient text is the ultimate text on the latter. The US Army has mostly used attrition warfare. That means you throw more soldiers and weapons at the enemy than the enemy can handle. General Grant and WW II are cases in point. On the other hand the US Marine Corps is well-known for it use of relational-maneuver warfare such as Inchon in the Korean War. In relational-maneuver warfare, one can have lesser forces and still heavily damage the enemy or even win. As Clauswitz called it--one attacks the enemy's center of gravity or attacks the enemy with more/better forces at isolated points (e.g. the Finns vs. the Germans in WWII). One of the beauties of this approach is that there are far less casualties. In Desert Storm, the Iraqi communications were taken out early--an attack on a center of gravity for command and control. The principles in Sun Tzu's "Art of War" are transferable to any conflict situation as a general case because they are so high level in nature. They can be applied to football, business negotiations, etc. Unlike some, Sun Tzu recognized that winning a war is not a matter of killing all the enemy; it's a matter of imposing a nation's political will upon another. From a certain perspective, he appears to be a realist, militarist, and humanist (he tries to minimize casualties) combined.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Currently The Best Version Available, January 27, 2003

By	R. J Szasz "Rod Szasz" (Tokyo, Japan Japan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the best translation of Sun Tzu's work on the market. Sawyer is a deft scholar with the ability to approach the meaning most carefully in his text. Moreover the lenghty introduction to the text (three-quarters of the book) gives one a good description of the evolution of warfare in the the major dynasties of Classical China. Descriptions of everything from the development of the sword, chariot, and military organisation is included, all aspects of the the major military engagements described.

The text should therefore appeal to both those who wish to get a general outline of Chinese military history and the context that Sun Tzu (and other writers described in the book) defines his concepts of strategy.

This is a serious scholarship and there is numerous references to non-translated Chinese and Japanese first sources on the subject. Sawyer knows his stuff! There is also a full index with Chinese character translations of key concepts, events, people and places (since as any reader of Chinese script knows, there is no way the phonetic romanised spelling can convey adequate meaning). It is always good to have reference to the Chinese characters. .....

This is the translation for those who hope to take a whack at Chinese classical scholarship and military history.