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 enlarge | Authors: Carl Von Clausewitz, Beatrice Heuser
Creators: Michael Howard, Peter Paret
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $7.55
You Save: $5.40 (42%)
New (25) Used (9) from $7.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  69 reviews
Sales Rank: 19160
Media: Paperback
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0199540020
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.02
EAN: 9780199540020
ASIN: 0199540020
Publication Date: June 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Delivery is usually 5 - 8 working days from order, International is by Royal Mail Airmail
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| Customer Reviews:
 Strategy ? - This book is required reading. June 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This classic is required reading for any scholar or other person interested in strategic thinking, military command and decision making, leadership of large scale or complex endeavors.
Geo-Political Student May 22, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Very well written. A must have book for any student or practicioner of the Art and Strategy of War and/or the History of War.
"War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale." May 21, 2008
This is one of those books where one of my immediate questions before I begin is whether or not I have enough qualifications in the subject matter to get anything useful out of the material. Some writers can be read relatively cold. Others cannot. In terms of military theory, I haven't read more than a few primary texts: The Art Of War and The Book of Five Rings.
Since Von Clausewitz spends quite a bit of time on base definitions, I found that even given my lack of background in military theory I was able to follow and engage with the material. I am sure that someone who has a better background in the subject matter would get even more. I was satisfied that it was a good use of my time.
Personally, I found myself focusing the most on the distinction that Von Clausewitz makes between strategy and tactics. It felt important, and quite applicable even off the battlefield. Even if I was only considering that theme, there would have been more than enough material for me to chew over. I was actually surprised with how much I enjoyed the book and how I never felt bored or lost.
I read the Wordsworth Library edition, which was significantly abridged. The first books are translated and published in full, with the abridgment increasing as the books progressed. This irritated me a little bit, but I may well be inclined to trust the editor's judgment that a casual reader like myself need not read the entire work. This edition had a rather blessedly clear and helpful introduction by Louise Willmot.
Carl von Clauswitz February 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A virtual bible for the historian. Rather disjointed in some areas but should be in every library.
 The Rapoport introduction ruined it for me February 22, 2007
3 out of 10 found this review helpful
There is a reason that this is a classic. If I'm a teacher at a war college like
West Point , I can assign chapters
and test the students on the understanding of the material.
It is more in the western form of learning than Sun Tzu's classic.
Where does it fail?
Even at this time the "staff" type running of war
that defeated Napoleon was being used by joint European powers.
The running of a war has come to be viewed as like that of an effective business.
You even need a legal staff to deal with civilian complaints.
The modern mathematical approaches of games theory ( Rapoport ) for tactics and
systems theory ( Asimov ) for long range strategy are what spoil this book for me.
War as an object of nationalistic policy has been destroyed by science in our time.
The terrorists have tried to breath new life into the ancient war of faith
by killing their own people at a greater rate than they do the enemy.
Logistically that approach is destined to failure:
you just run out of soldiers fool enough to die for their god.
Carl von Clausewitz was sold on "genius" as the answer to war problems.
I think accounting ability may be as important.
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