Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
39 used & new from £4.40
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Art of War (History & Warfare)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Art of War (History & Warfare) (Paperback)

by Sun Zi (Author), Ralph D. Sawyer (Author), Tzu Sun (Author) "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)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
Price: £9.49 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.50 (5%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, July 16? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
23 new from £4.40 16 used from £4.40
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (New edition) 5 used & new from £13.36

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Art of Strategy: A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War": A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" by Wing

The Art of War (History & Warfare) + The Art of Strategy: A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War": A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"
Price For Both: £23.48

One of these items ships sooner than the other. Show details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World

The Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World

by Sun Tzu
3.6 out of 5 stars (13)  £4.74
Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai

by Yamamoto Tsunetomo
4.5 out of 5 stars (22)  £5.49
The Art of Strategy: A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War": A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"

The Art of Strategy: A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War": A New Translation of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"

by Wing
4.9 out of 5 stars (9)  £13.99
The Art of War

The Art of War

by Sun Tzu
3.8 out of 5 stars (13)  £3.00
Gangs

Gangs

by Ross Kemp
4.7 out of 5 stars (6)  £14.44
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Basic Books (21 Jan 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 081331951X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0813319513
  • Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.7 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 299,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
American Civil War DVDs
   www.CivilWarGoods.com    Emmy Award-Winning Films Shot in High-Definition! 
Free Sun Tzu's Art of War
   www.ScienceOfStrategy.Org    Award-winning Versions World's Leading Strategy Group 
  
 

Product Description

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

Product Description
The Art of War is almost certainly the most famous study of strategy ever written and has had an extraordinary influence on the history of warfare. The principles Sun Tzu expounded were utilized brilliantly by such great Asian war leaders as Mao Tse-tung, Giap, and Yamamoto. First translated two hundred years ago by a French missionary, Sun Tzus Art of War has been credited with influencing Napoleon, the German General Staff, and even the planning for Desert Storm. Many Japanese companies make this book required reading for their key executives. And increasingly, Western business people and others are turning to the Art of War for inspiration and advice on how to succeed in competitive situations of all kinds. Why has a two-thousand-year-old text proven so valuable in todays world? Because the Art of War embodies an Eastern tradition of strategy that emphasizes outwitting an opponent through speed, stealth, flexibility, and a minimum of effort. And these time-tested principles work. They have been proven on the battlefield and in the marketplace. Unlike most editions of Sun Tzu currently available (many simply retreads of older, flawed translations) this superb new translation makes use of the best available classical Chinese manuscripts, including the ancient tomb text version discovered by archaeologists at Linyi, China. Ralph Sawyer, an outstanding Western scholar of ancient Chinese warfare and a successful businessman in his own right, places this classic work of strategy in its proper historical context. Sawyer supplies a portrait of Sun Tzus era and outlines several battles of the period that may have either influenced Sun Tzu or been conducted by him. While appreciative of the philosophical richness of the Art of War, his edition stresses Sun Tzus practical origins and presents a translation that is both accurate and accessible.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
OF THE Seven Military Classics only Sun-tzus Military Strategy, traditionally known as the Art of War, has received much exposure in the West. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
See all 8 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Art of War (History & Warfare)
60% buy the item featured on this page:
The Art of War (History & Warfare) 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£9.49
The Art of War
22% buy
The Art of War 3.8 out of 5 stars (13)
£3.00
The Art of War (Penguin Classics)
17% buy
The Art of War (Penguin Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (10)
£5.49
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The art of good writing about the art of war!, 26 Oct 2003
By Bugs "buggle26" (Arklow, Ireland) - See all my reviews
As with Clausewitz's texts about war,this is one of those books
you hear of but never actually read. More's the pity. "The Art of War" is absolutely brilliant. It is concise, succinct, read-
able and extraordinarily relevant in not just war but also our
personal interactions. There is a wealth of pithy information,
well written, concerning war on or off the battlefield. There
are tips on ruthlessness, strategy, morale, tactics and camp-
aigning. It's all dealt with and it is a good "fun" read. Every
business person should own a copy! So should each half of a lov-
ing couple! I am delighted I bought it and heartily recommend it.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
12 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A few grains of truth in a lot of chaff, 5 Jul 2004
By bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
Today many of Sun Tzu quotas are floating around mixed with Shakespeare and the Bible. And as with many of the quote they are out of context and misleading. The quoter usually thinks repeating the word is some sort of magic.

This particular book spends more time trying to identify and qualify SunTzu's writings than just quoting them. I will not go through all the arguments as to who "wrote what when" or "translated what when" as you can read this for yourself.

Another distraction is the attempt to show how the book was applied or not applied in recent wars. This may be interesting to someone who's intention is to apply the theories of Sun Tzu; however it is not his writing but someone else's interpretation of its application.

Now lets finally get to Sun Tzu. It is easy with hindsight and a closer look at the future to dismiss Sun Tzu as his practical tactical knowledge is of 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; other wise it is quite amusing.

Oh yes those grains of truth I mentioned, well they may sound like cliches but thy are still viable. "Know your enemy and know yourself". Others are just practical sense and statistical outcomes that 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 we have artillery and now stealth and precision, the reminder that "no two wars are alike" and "it is flexibility that makes a difference" is being shown today to still be 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 in specialized units and crack troops.

I have spent several years in the military and in business and can say this book is a nice addition to history, otherwise of very little value to today's wold for war or business.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep explanation of the history surounding his teachings., 23 Feb 1999
By A Customer
Deep explanation of the history surounding his teachings.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Book of War (Modern Library)

The Book of War

Sun Tzu and the Art of War & Carl von Clausewitz on war. Two seminal... Read more
£17.06

›Find similar items

 

More From Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu: The...

Sun Tzu: The Art of War for Managers...

Why this managers edition of Sun Tzu? In reading Sun Tzu, I found it... Read more
£7.99 £6.49

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

›Shop Converse

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates