This series of posts intends to explore some of the best-known and most-regarded books of all time, looking specifically at the classics worth reading – weeding out the long, rambling ‘masterpieces’ that have little to offer contemporary readers. This edition looks at The Art of War:
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Unlike most of the ‘classics’, this is one that can be read in less than half an hour, it’s a quick and easy piece to tick off the list and can easily fit in your bag for a quick journey read. But don’t let the flimsy size fool you, this book is a powerful monograph. A sombre and philosophical work of poetic strategy.
Compiled by military strategist Sun Tzu roughly around the 5th century BC,The Art of War (also known as Master Sun’s Military Methods) brings together 13 chapters of military tactics and strategies.
It’s Pax Librorum blurb describes it as:
‘Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has been a vastly influential treatise on military strategy in the east from the time of China’s Warring States Period (403-221 BC) onward. Though its first translation into a European language was only in 1782, the book’s significance was quickly recognized and even such towering figures of Western history as Napoleon and General Douglas MacArthur have claimed it a source of inspiration.’
The mistake would be to read this simply as a manual for warfare, as it was originally intended during the ancient Eastern Zhou period, but The Art of War offers so much more than that. A study in behaviour, in the strengths and weakness of humans under pressure, controlling unruly groups or campaigning for a victory.
The mistake would be to read The Art of War simply as a manual for warfare
The Art of War has the dynamic ability to be applied to any kind of situation, from supervising chaotic pre-teens (‘Soldiers must be treated first with humanity but then controlled with discipline’), to Political Campaigning 101 (‘When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, he’s anxious for the other side to advance’). The book has been used by strategists and analysts in the centuries since its release and continues to be used in business, law, the military and more.
You can buy a copy of The Art of War on Amazon, or view this indexed website comparing translations, and providing references and commentary.
Photo: Dakota Corbin