Art of War (Keepsake Edition)

By Lao-Tzu

This keepsake edition of the world's oldest military treatise includes a creatively embroidered cover.

Dated to about the fifth century BC, The Art of War is considered the oldest treatise on war in the world. Attributed to Sun Tzu of the Zhou dynasty, the book is composed of thirteen chapters, each addressing a particular aspect of warfare, such as planning offenses, military combat, and the employment of spies. Influential in Eastern civilization for millennia and in Western culture since its first translation in the 18th century, the teachings of this book have been applied to scenarios as varied as office politics, the Vietnam War, and American football. This Crafted Classics edition is a keepsake to be treasured, featuring a decorative embroidered cover that gives the book a unique, handcrafted appearance.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1645177009
• ISBN13: 9781645177005
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Canterbury Classics
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

A few grains of truth in a lot of chaff.

Today, many of Sun Tzu's quotes circulate alongside Shakespeare and the Bible. And as with many of the quotes, they are out of context and misleading. The quoter usually thinks that repeating the words is some sort of magic. This volume at least tries to present the facts about Sun Tzu and not go overboard on popular cultural deviations about how to apply them to other disciplines. There is an excellent index if you are looking for something specific. It is easy, with hindsight and a closer look at the future, to dismiss Sun Tzu, as his practical tactical knowledge is from a time and place long gone. He spends a lot of time on the use of weapons and information-gathering techniques of the time. This can be interesting in a historical context; otherwise, it is quite amusing. Oh yes, those grains of truth I mentioned, well, they may sound like clichés, but they are still viable. "Know your enemy and know yourself." Others are just practical sense and statistical outcomes you learn in any military training. I could go through the list, but again, that is why you buy the book. Now, just as you decide that the book is outdated for any practical purposes today, with artillery and now stealth and precision, the reminders that "no two wars are alike" and "it is the flexibility that makes a difference" are still true. Even in today's wars, there is a need for good intelligence and deception. We put a lot of time and energy into Psy-Ops. Sun Tzu shows the advantage of specialized units and crack troops. I have spent several years in the military and business and can say this book is a nice addition to history, otherwise of very little value to today's world for war or business or anything else that might come up.