Review (PDF) The Art Of War: Ancient Wisdom . . . Modern Twist
Read the original Sun Tzu The Art of War and you'll see, feel and taste a striking difference: it is quite unlike the entertaining facsimiles that appear across the publishing universe today. The original was carefully planned and designed to be accurate, brief and concise: short, punchy bullets, all well categorized and numbered for easy retrieval and reference. There were no lengthy explanations about each bullet, no editorials by armchair, paper-qualified warriors. Dean Garner's 50-page edition of The Art of War was compiled and edited in the high spirit of those brilliant minds who wrote The Art of War, and was designed to be a highly readable and accessible field manual for all warriors--battlefield, boardroom, bedroom--rather than a detailed historical perspective or critique for academics and history enthusiasts. The editor of the current version served as a US Army Airborne Ranger with the 1st Ranger Battalion and as a silladar (overseas security specialist) with international private military companies he designed and helped build. He did 211 overseas missions, escorting clients out of hostile territories, all without the aid of backup operators or rescue personnel, and delivered all clients to safe havens over a nine-year period. During his service in US military and civilian special operations, he accurately learned and successfully implemented firsthand many elements of The Art of War. This contemporary edition of Sun Tzu's masterpiece is just as, if not more, relevant today as it was 2,500 years ago. In the current geopolitical environment, our military and civilian leaders should be taking Sun Tzu's wisdom to heart, and implementing tactics and strategies that will ensure we do not engage in any further wars, battles or skirmishes. Sun Tzu teaches us that war is unnecessary . . . peace is always the goal.
Paperback: 74 pages
Publisher: Adagio Press, LLC (July 14, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0985536276
ISBN-13: 978-0985536275
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,280,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #76 in Books > Law > Specialties > Personal Injury #245 in Books > Law > Specialties > Military #281 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Survival Skills
I was hoping for more. It is a well written book, but only 48 pages of content and on those 48 pages there is only bullet points. It was unclear when I purchase this book that it was "heavily edited down to its bare essence" (Garner, Back Cover). If you are looking for a short and concise SUMMARY of Sun Tzu's writing, this is a great book. If you actually want to read a full translation of Sun Tzu's writing, I would not recommend this book. That being said, it was still a good read.
I was very disappointed with the edition of The Art of War that we ordered. I ordered this for my son to read for the first time as a freshman in high school. I looked for decent reviews on one specific edition or publication of The Art of War - that was difficult to find on . It seems that reviewers posted reviews on older, various editions of this book. I ordered this particular copy, The Art of War: Ancient Wisdom . . . Modern Twist, edited and introduced by William Garner, because the description stated " Dean Garner's 50-page edition of The Art of War was compiled and edited in the high spirit of those brilliant minds who wrote The Art of War, and was designed to be a highly readable and accessible field manual for all warriors--battlefield, boardroom, bedroom--rather than a detailed historical perspective or critique for academics and history enthusiasts. ". Instead of looking official and well edited, it was laid out like an outline. I agree with Jake S.' review "Short and Concise Summary - Not a full translation." It had lots of white space and the modern "thoughts" at first glance read like advertorial.
Ranger Dean Garner’s The Art of War offers a unique and fresh perspective of the classic treatise by Suz Tzu. Having encountered the original AoW two-decades ago as a young Soldier wanting to better understand the warrior's craft, I wish I had Garner’s rendition then to clarify the nuanced wisdom of Sun Tzu’s essential primer on conflict. Garner has breathed new life into what is to many is a nebulous depiction of the ways and means to achieve victory in any arena where conflict determines victors or losers. Ranger Garner “gets it” and has the narrative chops to skillfully deliver Sun Tzu’s wisdom to 21st Century warriors whether they wear multi-cam or pinstripes.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." SantayanaGarner's translation of Sun Tzu's Art of War takes centuries old wisdom and puts it into a format that is clear and concise.This book isn't just about war, however. It is about human behavior and is therefore applicable to many aspects of everyday life.I commend Ranger Garner on his efforts to preserve yesterdays knowledge by making it accessible to today's reader.
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