The Complete Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Complete Art of War
“Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Tao to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.” – Sun Tzu

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (May 1, 1996)
ISBN: 0813330858

The Complete Art of War is presented with a combination of two texts:
The Art of War by Sun Tzu and Military Methods by Sun Pin.

Military Methods was lost for over 2,000 years, and is just now being offered in English translations, so this really is the most complete text in military strategies.

Translated by Ralph Sawyer in an easy to follow chapter by chapter framework, it has a practical index to the material. The index is a tremendous help in finding the sections that are pertinent to what you are looking for, or to make more sense of some of the harder to read texts.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is a world famous guide to Chinese Military strategies for over 2,500 years. It is a complex science dealing in different sets of estimations. Covering military dispositions, spies, attacks, terrain, and configurations, it is a complete overview of war.

Military Methods by Sun Pin (Sun Tzu’s great-grandson) includes deployments, expanding Ch’i, lunar warfare, and preparation of strategic power. Having 33 chapters, it has a real strength in army troop nature.

Also included is both a guide to pronunciation to the Chinese names, and a chronology of Approximate Dynastic Periods. The Chronology is very helpful in beginning to understand the history of the Chinese dynasties in its subjection to the wartime activities.

If you are into history, or war strategy, you MUST get this guide. The Complete Art of War is a staple in your library.

Those who enjoy the Art of War may also like:

The Prince; Niccolo Machiavelli
On War; Karl Von Clausewitz
Book of five rings; Miyamoto Musashi