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Brace E. Barber

The Art of War Hardcover – March 10, 1983

by Sun Tzu (Author), James Clavell (Editor, Foreword)

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If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle....

These are the words of ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, whose now-classic treatise, The Art of War, was written more than 2,500 years ago. Originally a text for victory on the battlefield, the book has vastly transcended its original purpose.

Here is a seminal work on the philosophy of successful leadership that is as applicable to contemporary business as it is to war. Today many leading American business schools use the text as required reading for aspiring managers, and even Oliver Stone's award-winning film Wall Street cites The Art of War as a guide to those who strive for success.

Now acclaimed novelist James Clavell, for whom Sun Tzu's writing has been an inspiration, gives us a newly edited Art of War. Author of the best-selling Asian saga consisting of Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-jin, King Rat, Noble House, and Whirlwind, Clavell first heard about Sun Tzu in Hong Kong in 1977, and since then The Art Of War has been his constant companion--he refers to it frequently in Noble House. He has taken a 1910 translation of the book and clarified it for the contemporary reader. This new edition of The Art Of War is an extraordinary book made even more relevant by an extraordinary editor.

Print length

96 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Delacorte Press
Publication date

March 10, 1983
Reading age

18 years and up
Dimensions

7.2 x 0.52 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0385292163
ISBN-13

978-0385292160
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most useful and important book ever written for aspiring leaders."
--Toronto Sun Times

From the Inside Flap

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle....

These are the words of ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, whose now-classic treatise, The Art of War, was written more than 2,500 years ago. Originally a text for victory on the battlefield, the book has vastly transcended its original purpose.

Here is a seminal work on the philosophy of successful leadership that is as applicable to contemporary business as it is to war. Today many leading American business schools use the text as required reading for aspiring managers, and even Oliver Stone's award-winning film Wall Street cites The Art of War as a guide to those who strive for success.

Now acclaimed novelist James Clavell, for whom Sun Tzu's writing has been an inspiration, gives us a newly edited Art of War. Author of the best-selling Asian saga consisting of Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-jin, King Rat, Noble House, and Whirlwind, Clavell first heard about Sun Tzu in Hong Kong in 1977, and since then The Art Of War has been his constant companion--he refers to it frequently in Noble House. He has taken a 1910 translation of the book and clarified it for the contemporary reader. This new edition of The Art Of War is an extraordinary book made even more relevant by an extraordinary editor.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I: LAYING PLANS

Sun Tzu said:

The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.

The art of war is governed by five constant factors, all of which need to be taken into account. They are: the Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; the Commander; Method and discipline.

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death.

The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness.

By Method and discipline are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the gradations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure.

These five factors should be familiar to every general. He who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.

Therefore, when seeking to determine your military conditions, make your decisions on the basis of a comparison in this wise:

Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral Law?

Which of the two generals has the most ability?

With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?

On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
Tu Mu alludes to the remarkable story of Ts'ao Ts'ao (A.D. I55 - 220), who was such a strict disciplinarian that once, in accordance with his own severe regulations against injury to standing crops, he condemned himself to death for having allowed his horse to stray into a field of corn! However, in lieu of losing his head, he was persuaded to satisfy his sense of justice by cutting off his hair. "When you lay down a law, see that it is not disobeyed; if it is disobeyed, the offender must be put to death."
Which army is the stronger?

On which side are officers and men more highly trained?

In which army is there the most absolute certainty that merit will be properly rewarded and misdeeds summarily punished?

By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat. The general who hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it will conquer--let such a one be retained in command! The general who hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it will suffer defeat--let such a one be dismissed! But remember: While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules and modify your plans accordingly.

All warfare is based on deception. 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. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat; how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

II: ON WAGING WAR

In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, ten thousand heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li*, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of a hundred thousand men.

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, the men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength, and if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the state will not be equal to the strain. Never forget: When your weapons are dulled, your ardor dampened, your strength exhausted, and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.

Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. Only one who knows the disastrous effects of a long war can realize the supreme importance of rapidity in bringing it to a close. It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war who can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.

The skillful general does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply wagons loaded more than twice. Once war is declared, he will not waste precious time in waiting for reinforcements, nor will he turn his army back for fresh supplies, but crosses the enemy's frontier without delay. The value of time--that is, being a little ahead of your opponent--has counted for more than either numerical superiority or the nicest calculations with regard to commissariat.

Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs. Poverty of the state exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance. Contributing to maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.

On the other hand, the proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause people's substance to be drained away. When their substance is drained away, they will be afflicted by heavy exactions. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and their incomes dissipated; at the same time government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breastplates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantlets, draught oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to almost half its total revenue.

A wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul** of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.

Now, in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger. For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards. Thus, when you capture spoils from the enemy, they must be used as rewards, so that all your men may have a keen desire to fight, each on his own account.

Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. This is called using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.

* 2.78 modern li make a mile. The length may have varied slightly since Sun Tzu's time.

** A Chinese unit of weight equal to 133.33 pounds.

III: THE SHEATHED SWORD

To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to capture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment, or a company entire than to destroy them.

Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities, because the preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and various implements of war will take up three whole months; and the piling up of mounds over against the walls will take three months more. The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.

The skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. With his forces intact he disputes the mastery of the empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph is complete.

This is the method of attacking by stratagem of using the sheathed sword.

It is the rule in war: If our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two, one to meet the enemy in front, and one to fall upon his rear; if he replies to the frontal attack, he may be crushed from behind; if to the rearward attack, he may be crushed in front.

If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. Though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.

The general is the bulwark of the state: if the bulwark is strong at all points, the state will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the state will be weak.

There are three ways in which a sovereign can bring misfortune upon his army:

By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.

By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions that obtain in an army.

This causes restlessness in the soldiers' minds. Humanity and justice are the principles on which to govern a state, but not an army; opportunism and flexibility, on the other hand, are military rather than civic virtues.

By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
Su-ma Ch'ien about 100 B.C. added to this section: If a general is ignorant of the principle of adaptability, he must not be entrusted with a position of authority. The skillful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man. For the wise man delights in establishing his merit, the brave man likes to show his courage in action, the covetous man is quick at seizing advantages, and the stupid man has no fear of death.
When the army is restless and distrustful, trouble is sure to come from the other feudal princes. This is simply bringing anarchy into the army, and flinging victory away. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Press (March 10, 1983)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385292163
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385292160
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.2 x 0.52 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #960,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,495 in History of Technology
- #1,861 in Chinese History (Books)
- #1,982 in History of Education

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Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu is thought to have been a military general and adviser to the king of the southern Chinese state of Wu during the sixth century BCE. Although some modern scholars have called his authorship into doubt, the world's most influential and enduring treatise on military strategy, The Art of War, bears his name.

Sun Tzu fue un general, estratega militar y filósofo de la antigua China. El nombre por el que lo conocemos es en realidad un título honorífico que significa «Maestro Sun». Su nombre de nacimiento era Sun Wu y fuera de su familia era conocido por su nombre de cortesía, Changqing. Tradicionalmente se le considera el autor de El arte de la guerra, un influyente tratado sobre estrategia militar. Sun Tzu ha tenido un impacto significativo en la historia y culturas china y asiática, tanto por escribir El arte de la guerra como por ser una figura histórica legendaria.

Históricamente se le sitúa en el período de las Primaveras y Otoños de China (722-481 a. C.) como general militar al servicio del rey Helü de Wu, que vivió c. 544-496 a. C. Los estudiosos modernos aceptan su lugar histórico al situar la creación de El arte de la guerra en el período de los Reinos Combatientes (476-221 a. C.) con base en las descripciones militares del texto y a la similitud de su prosa con la de otros trabajos creados a comienzos de la etapa de los Reinos Combatientes.

La Editorial Alvi Books le dedicó, como tributo y reconocimiento, este espacio en Amazon en 2017.

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NOT THE FULL TEXT

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2018

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NOT THE FULL TEXT....these are the cliff notes......product page is awful.

558 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

This is a ~15 page "summary" of the book. ...

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2017

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This is a ~15 page "summary" of the book. Ordered this thinking it was the full text because it doesn't say otherwise in the description.

957 people found this helpful

Find another version from a reputable publisher

Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2017

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Looks like someone printed a PDF I could have found for free online. The book is too wide and tall and the layout, indentation, and general typography are awful.

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327 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

It is a book meant for good.

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

I want to tell future readers of this book in this way. I read it first when I was 14 or 15. I thought it was a book on how to smartly fight a war. Then I re-read it when I was 28 and it occurred to me that it may be an instruction book on how to navigate an honorable life. Years passed and I recently found it at the bottom of a box in my closet. I read it again at age 56. I realized it has more to offer. If you read this book, you will actively have to replace Sun Tzus' ancient terms and placement of hierarchy and apply them to modern situations and people. Family, bosses, neighbors, employees and the list goes on. It is my belief that this "manual" can help solve minor and major disruptions in life if used correctly. It is a book meant for good.

1,422 people found this helpful

It should say PUBLIC DOMAIN as it is like a copy from someone who took notes off of ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2017

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This is ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. It should say PUBLIC DOMAIN as it is like a copy from someone who took notes off of someone who took notes who took notes off someone who doesn't even write in the English language! It is woefully abridged (to the max) looks like it was not edited or proofread and I loathe it. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL

193 people found this helpful

67 Page Cliffnotes

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2019

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The media could not be loaded.

Idk, maybe I didn't read the reviews in my Xmas shopping haste? But this is NOT The Art of War you're used to. This is a very thin, 67 page cliffnote version. And it'd be nice if they listed that pertinent fact in the headline 🙄 Kinda just a waste of resources sending it back, of time for me, and a loss for the seller. Annoying.

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27 people found this helpful

IF YOU ARE A LEADER OR MANAGER OF ANY KIND, READ THIS BOOK!

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2021

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-If you have inconsistent or poor performances on your team, you NEED to read this book!
-If you are the type of leader that is "too nice" and you feel like your employees take advantage of you, you NEED to read this book!
-If your employees are terrified of you, you NEED to read this book!

This is how this book changed my life:

My first big promotion was getting the General Manager position of a restaurant at 21 years old, and I did everything I could to make my employees happy (bringing the principals from "First Break All the Rules- What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently" which is also imperative to help you measure and understand how to make an amazing work environment for your employees), and it worked wonders- at first. My employees were happy and my customer reviews sky rocketed!!

However, over time some employees started to push the lines of respect with me and others, and some just started to outright ignore me or give me attitude. I was devastated! How could they treat me disrespectfully after I had spent months bending over backwards finding out and giving them everything they needed to be happy at work??? I praised them tirelessly, I thanked them constantly, I encouraged them, I personally trained them, I got them equipment and supplies they need to do a good job, I was spending one-on-one time with each of them would ask how their lives were, etc! I was the "nicest boss...." who was also turning out to be a pushover.

You can have all the kindness in the world but it makes your team useless if you have no discipline at the same time! The Bible says God disciplines His children BECAUSE He loves us. Otherwise, we turn into monsters! Which is what I was beginning to experience with my team.

I HAD NO DISCIPLINE, and NEITHER DID MY TEAM. Why would they respect me? I thought discipline was bad- "punishment" you gave and "punishment" was mean. Nope... turns out every team needs it, and if you are CONSISTENTLY and FAIRLY giving predictable and fore-warned discipline all the time, along with kindness, which Sun Tzu talks about in the book as well, you will have an amazing team. This is my favorite quote from the book that finally turned the light bulb on for me:

Page 26 #42-45:

"If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be useless.
Therefore soldiers must be treated in the first instance with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron discipline. This is a certain road to victory.
If in training soldiers commands are habitually enforced, the army will be well-disciplined; if not, its discipline will be bad.
If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual."

AND YES IT WAS! Over time, not only did my employees love coming into work EVEN MORE, but they worked harder, my customers were happier, and so was I. People are comforted to know their boss will always be kind AND fair. If you never know how your boss will treat you, it creates uncertainty and anxiety with the team that always leaks out to the customers.

It took me only a couple weeks to begin fully implementing this mindset with my employees. At first, I'm not going to lie- it shocked them a bit and they didn't believe when me I would tell them I would be disciplining them if they didn't follow through or finish a direct order I had given them. I had to fire one manager who was undermining me to the team, and then everyone saw I was serious and fell right into line. Of course, I did all of this will extreme kindness.

Discipline should never be nasty or hateful or done when you are fuming angry. The employees need kind, proper and consistent warnings before they receive any consequences (which I learned to start doing right from onboarding them at orientation- saved me a lot of time and trouble), and then if and when the time comes for the formal discipline, they know by then that it was totally their choice, and you are only following through on what you said would happen.

There are SO MANY MORE GREAT QUOTES in this book. Just get it. Get a highlighter and pick out the diamonds that you need. Go over them time and again and become the amazing leader of your life and of your team you are meant to be!

13 people found this helpful

Mark Pallottino Jr

You can't complain for the price

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

This was an incredibly economical buy. A good price on a legendary literary work. However, it should be pointed out that this was a public domain reprint and the publishing company did not cite nor include the translator of this piece in any way, it is simply "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. The quality of the print is very good and the material seems to all be there, although, there are many blank pages as shown in the attached image. Again, I did not notice any material actually missing or out of context. I would not purchase this book if you are looking to reference it for scholarly sources or any work in which you would have to reference the content directly. I would definitely encourage the buy if it is for personal use or work that does not require proper citations.

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3 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

Not the full text

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have only atrted reading but please be aware that this is not the full version but a condensed version. Someone’s posted a picture of what appears to be the full text but that’s not what I received. More like a booklet which the seller should make clearer and for that I’m giving this a 1. Not for the content but for the booklet I received.

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218 people found this helpful

Tripti shankar

Most overrated Book.

Reviewed in India on July 21, 2019

Verified Purchase

The printed MRP is ₹99 and I got it at ₹69. Delivery from Amazon was as usual good.

Now talking about the book I think it's the most overated book that I have read so far. So my suggestion would be not to waste time on this.

It is written point wise that also for me seems a little childish.

It talks about different tactics of warfare which is completely irrelevant in today's time. One atom bomb and all your Art of War would go in vain.

I though of giving it 2 stars but the reviews that is there on the cover of the book is so very good that it made me give it 1 star.

Also comparing it with Gita is complete insult to human civilization.

Rest I would say if you have a lot of time and want to waste it and get angry after few days then I would suggest you to go for this.

143 people found this helpful

Andy Ashburn

Open your mind as well as your eyes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2018

Verified Purchase

To quote SUN TZU "he who harkens to my council shall know victory". Wise words from a true genius and although the book was written centuries ago and meant as an aid to military tactics it can surprisingly has great baring and influence on day to day life if you have an open mind and don't just read a book and see the printed word. Sun Tzu explains every point without giving a definitive or direct answer and by doing so shows the true path that you can take with day to day life and it can (if clearly thought out) make any troubles you may have easier to understand and resolve as it shows you new options that might not of been clear to you at first. It's not a big book and when you first see it you might feel slightly cheated but let me assure you the book is more then worth it's weight in gold and the knowledge inside is powerful, iv read this book over and the pages still even after so many turns show me new insight and for want of a better word hope. Forget those self-help power books that go on and on this is a must read and mine goes everywhere with me.

65 people found this helpful

JVcrt

Very dissatisfied. A disrespectful version of a piece of history.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a very disappointing and small version of the actual book. The book I have bought here is very thin and smaller than a normal book. It has only 53 pages, which is 207 less than it should be.

This should be explained to the buyer before purchase.

32 people found this helpful

Blew1

Life is War, learn the Art! A great self help book for everyone of all ages that want to win!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

I actually became aware of this book thanks to The Sopranos (Tony regularly quotes from it in the program), not actually as advice on how to be a murderous mob boss...but how to win, and live a strong life. Although this book was intended as its title suggest, to aid with warfare, it is all completely relevant to everyday life. There are life lessons you can relate to any life, particularly the work environment, a stressful job or any other difficult situation. It’s also worth noting, that you can interpret this book in many ways...but use common sense! Don’t decide to wage war on an irritating neighbor or bully someone at work, use to help you win, not make others lose! Ancient wisdom for all!

15 people found this helpful

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