The Art of War: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Penguin Classics Deluxe Editio) | 
 enlarge | Author: Sun-tzu
Creator: John Minford
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $0.94
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 397361
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0140439196
Dewey Decimal Number: 355
EAN: 9780140439199
ASIN: 0140439196
Publication Date: August 26, 2003
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Condition: Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee.
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Product Description
For more than two thousand years, Sun-tzu's The Art of War has provided leaders with essential advice on battlefield tactics and management strategies. An elemental part of Chinese culture, it has also become a touchstone for the Western struggle for survival and success, whether in battle, in business, or in relationships. Now, in this crisp, accessible new translation, eminent scholar John Minford brings this seminal work to life for today's readers. Capturing the literary quality of the work, Minford presents the core text in two formats: first, the unadorned ancient words of wisdom ascribed to Sun-tzu; then, the same text with extensive running commentary from the canon of traditional Chinese commentators. A lively, learned introduction and other valuable apparatus round out this authoritative volume.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A few pearls of wisdom amidst the chaff September 7, 2008
Judging by the number of editions available, Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" is more popular and relevant than ever. Like many classic books of ideas, however, it is somewhat disappointing to read "in the flesh". Yes it contains a few pearls of wisdom but to get to them you have to wade through (a) 2000 year old advice on things such as how many chariots a general needs (quaint but not useful), and (b) lots of mystical mumbo-jumbo. The introduction by John Minford is excellent describing the context in which The "Art of War" was written.
A few grains of truth in a lot of chaff August 2, 2005
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
If you are going to buy a copy You can not go wrng with "Penguin Clasics".
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.
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 they 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 world for war.
As a Project Manager I can tell you that this book has little value to today's business. Projects are about efficiency, cooperation, and ROI not war.
 The Art of War March 17, 2005
6 out of 12 found this review helpful
There are two ways that you can read this book. The first way is that of a war manual, which Sun Tzu ment for it to be. This kind is esential to any general. In fact, warfare is guided by this book and has been for thousands of years. It talks about planing, attacking, defending, terrain, attacking by fire and spying and much more. You can also read it as a guide to life (though I recomend the Bible for this.) In this type of reading, the passage that stood out to me is, "Ultimate exellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." This confused me with what President Bush is doing, because he could have setled the problem with Iraq diplomaticly. But instead, he went to war with them for no good reason. I'm sorry but sometimes I get off track, but there is a connection isnt there? There is a commentaried version in the back of the book and a brief history of Sun Tzu and ancient China in the front. It is written in a poetry like form. It is the only translation I"ve read but overall, it is very good.
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