Review (PDF) The Art Of War (Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor)
Preserved in China for more than 2,000 years before it was brought to the West by the French, this compact little book is widely regarded as the oldest military treatise in the world. Rumored to have been used by Napoleon in his campaigns to conquer Europe, it today retains much of its original merit. American officers read it closely during World War II. The Japanese army studied the work for decades, and many 20th-century Chinese officers are said to have known the book by heart. More recently, it has also been viewed as a valuable guide to competing successfully in business.Stressing the importance of attacking your enemy when he is unprepared and scheming to discover his plans, the author advises avoiding the strong and striking at the weak, and using spies for every kind of business. Principles of strategy, tactics, maneuvering, and communications, the treatment of soldiers, the importance of strong troops and well-trained officers, and the administration of rewards and punishments all have a modern ring to them.A valuable guide to the conduct of war, this classic of military strategy is indispensable to military personnel, history enthusiasts, and anyone intrigued by competition and rivalry.
Series: Dover Military History, Weapons, Armor
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Dover Publications; 1 edition (November 13, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0486425576
ISBN-13: 978-0486425573
Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 4.8 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #80,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #60 in Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Conventional #147 in Books > History > Military > Strategy #1668 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Sociology
I first learned about this book when I was reading selections from it in another book called A Collection of Wisdom (which, by the way, I highly recommend to anybody and everybody). I found the passages so outstanding that I soon became a full-fledged Art of War fan, reading anyhting and everything on it and even frequenting the internet Sun Tzu sites.It is really amazing how this book is still applicable today, and not just to military operations, but to so many other aspects of life. Sun Tzu teaches in a straightforward style how to command an operation of utmost efficiency and effectiveness. Everything he recommends is only concerned with the best ends to the best means.Rather than formulate rigid guidlines, Sun Tzu teaches us to base strategy on the infinite variety of circumstances and based on the foe we are facing. He teaches us to know ourselcves and whether we are in condition to attack, to know our enemies and know if they are in the condition to be atttacked, and to know the environmentla conditions in order to deermine whether fighting is practical. He advises us to have a balanced perspective based on defense and offense, the former protecting ourselves from defeat, and the latter making victory complete. He tells us to know the oppoenets weak spots and exploit them, and to avod where he is strong. And of course, he tells us to base warfare on deception, and to use direct methods and indirect methods in combination.To use Sun Tzu's way, you must guard yourself, put on false appearances, and wait for the enemy to give you an opponent to make a mistake or leave himself open for atack. Then you must capitalize on it. He also says we shoudl bait opponents into vulnerbale spots. And we must use spies to gather information.
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