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Strategy: A History First Edition

4.5 out of 5 stars 983

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Freedman's] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy." --Washington Post

"Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument." --The Economist

"This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom." --Financial Times

"Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others--of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one." --Kirkus Reviews

"Sir Lawrence Freedman's 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy." --New Criterion

"Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. " --Mark Stout, War on the Rocks

"Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a 'number of false starts' with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait." --The Daily Beast

"Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedman's dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power." --Publishers Weekly starred review

"A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it."--National Review

"An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline." --strategy + business

"A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions." --Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog

"Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." --Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power

"A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes." --Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University

"This is a wonderful book--a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative." --Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History

"This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies." --CHOICE

Book Description

A sweeping, magisterial account of strategy, ranging from the Greek classics, to Carl von Clausewitz, to modern business management

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; First Edition (October 2, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 768 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199325154
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199325153
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.4 x 2.5 x 6.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 983

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Lawrence Freedman
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
983 global ratings
Leaves nothing out!
4 Stars
Leaves nothing out!
Under this disarmingly simple title but undoubtedly comprehensive volume, Lawrence Freedman addresses what may be one of the most complex concepts in human language. Moving through time and history, he discusses strategy's varying ideas, motivations, and manifestations across human endeavors.Beginning with Jane Goodall's study of primates and ending with modern Bounded Rationality Theory, the story plunges through the dimensions of human conflict, analyzing the protagonists and factors that precipitated political, social, and revolutionary movements, as well as war. Like an expert dramatist, Freedman moves nimbly to and from sequences of events as they occurred, without ever imposing a moral judgment but constantly examining causal factors and consequences. Discussed here are a breadth of well-known strategists like Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Machiavelli, and Liddell Hart, as well as lesser-known and seemingly unstrategic characters like Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Max Webber. However, the unity and harmony of thought are maintained in what can only be characterized as the primacy of power and clashes of will. Those looking for specific applications in academic disciplines will be happy to find the foundation of strategic thought behind Business, Management, Economics, and Politics without ever getting bogged down by the noise of sensationalism or opinion.I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because although it is exceedingly well written and thorough, there are a few instances in which Freedman meanders too far from base camp. Here, I am thinking about the history of various revolutions. There was undoubtedly something to be said about how strategy played into them, but the degree of description and detail may have been unnecessary. In other instances, he labors to fit in topics that can be dispensed. Examples of this are seen in Exodus and Milton's "Paradise Lost" discussion. I love Milton, but I'm not convinced that the epic of the fallen angels fits in here.What you should know: If you pick up this book, it will be well worth your time, regardless of your background. Just be prepared to set aside time to savor it. This may sound counterintuitive, but I recommend reading the last chapter before you read the first. It provides a roadmap to the book, so you can always see in which direction you're headed. Now that I have read it once, I will probably re-read it again to make sure I get the most out of it. I definitely see myself referencing it from time to time.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2014
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Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021
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Top reviews from other countries

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Vitor Hugo
5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable
Reviewed in Brazil on January 27, 2022
2 people found this helpful
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Parsec
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein großer Wurf!
Reviewed in Germany on January 16, 2024
One person found this helpful
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Andrey
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Sweden on October 17, 2022
Alvaro Ibarra Vizcaino
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro
Reviewed in Mexico on September 29, 2020
Alessandro ZANASI
5.0 out of 5 stars Leggibilissimo.
Reviewed in Italy on March 10, 2019