The Art of War (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) Bonded Leather – August 31, 2015

A Timeless Masterpiece Insightful and Elegantly PresentedThis Wisehouse Classics edition of The Art of War breathes new life into Sun Tzu’s legendary treatise. The layout is clean and easy to read, with a thoughtful introduction that adds valuable historical context.What stood out:The crisp, modern typesetting makes the ancient text more accessible without losing its poetic power.The included paraphrased commentary helps unpack the strategic ideas and their relevance today.Compact and well-bound it feels sturdy and makes for a great travel companion or desk reference.Even after so many centuries, The Art of War still offers profound lessons in leadership, strategy, and decision-making and this Wisehouse edition delivers them with style and readability.Ideal for students, professionals, and anyone curious about timeless wisdom.Highly recommended!

The Art Of War is truly an inspirational and informational piece of text written by Sun Tzu. The book goes through some of the best ways to execute a thorough and true war plan to conquer your enemies no matter what you are presented with. This book is truly something important that depending on your job and experience should be read at some point in your life.Throughout the text Sun Tzu is taking the reader through some of the most applicable and descriptive quotes that can actually benefit you in a war situation or even a normal day battle or personal Challenge. This type of writing style is very easy to connect to and gives you a deep understanding about what is being said. There are a few such instances of these deep quotes that I would like to talk about. To start I see Sun Tzu as the almost standoffish type. He would rather not fight at all then be engaged in some sort of war that he can or can't win. He is a very wise man that came up with some ideas about fighting if he ever ends up encountering it in a war situation but he still would rather stay out of the conflict in general. Now onto the quotes. The first one that I read I now recite to myself all the time no matter what I’m or where I'm going. Danger is a sign something is not right or not safe: Sun Tzu says “Danger has a bracing effect.” This stays in my mind because It makes me feel at ease because even if there's danger it may be subtle or a pushing factor into doing something the right or safe way. Another one that sticks out to me is Sun Tzu saying “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”. This quotation sticks with me too because it means that no matter what comes your way or what attacks you there is always an opportunity to do the right thing or learn from it.I truly believe that this book is an amazing book for many different demographics because of the true meaning behind it. It was a good read and I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for an inspirational and informational book.

The media could not be loaded. A classic that everybody who knows, already knows and if you don't know, you will want to know. This book, as a hardcover copy is brand new and the words and knowledge inside are incredibly beneficial for anybody interested in bettering their lives and having different perspectives about these ancient proverbs

Short and sweet version. Lots of ancient knowledge you can apply to real modern life.

Great read

Like the original work it's short and to the point. Excellent read. Not a book more like a thick pamphlet.

If you have questions about what exactly Sun Tzu (Wu) meant when he wrote something in his “Art of War,” you’ll often not find it in this book. True, as best I can tell, these are the words of Sun Tzu, as translated and edited by the renowned Lionel Giles in 1910. However, the book is stripped of Giles’ lengthy introduction, notes, sources, etc., which go to make his full book easily many times larger than the stripped-down version you’ll find here. Don’t believe me? Check out the online Giles versions downloadable for free. Other translations, most with valuable introductions, notes, and forewards (one by the famous military strategist Liddell Hart) include those by Griffith (1963), Cleary (1988), Clavell (1983-89), Gagliardi (1999), Minford (2002), Harris (2018), and several others.So, why did I buy this book? I had been looking for an inexpensive print copy of “The Art of War,” and Amazon mentioned this version when I bought a related strategy book as “Frequently bought together.” Other print versions were two, three, four, and more times as expensive. This print book is priced more along the lines of what the other translations charge for Kindle copies. So, through a combination of “good” advertising, luck, or a fluke of Amazon “The Art of War” title aggregation (currently 12,078 ratings with 448,977 ratings on Goodreads for presumably all versions), this version of “The Art of War” is ranked at the moment as Amazon book #344. Also helping persuade me was the book description that said, “This edition approved by the Holden-Crowther Organisation for Asian Studies.” Unfortunately, other than the organization’s name being attached to this book, I can now find nothing else about it.As a sample of the differences between Giles' stripped-out and versions of his translation, note in the two examples below the difference between just Sun Tzu’s words in quotes and what is appended to the quoted material in the brackets:III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM4. …“the preparation of mantlets, movable shelters, and various implements of war, will take up three whole months;”[It is not quite clear what the Chinese word, here translated as “mantlets”, described. Ts`ao Kung simply defines them as “large shields,” but we get a better idea of them from Li Ch`uan, who says they were to protect the heads of those who were assaulting the city walls at close quarters. This seems to suggest a sort of Roman TESTUDO, ready made. Tu Mu says they were wheeled vehicles used in repelling attacks, but this is denied by Ch`en Hao. See supra II. 14. The name is also applied to turrets on city walls. Of the “movable shelters” we get a fairly clear description from several commentators. They were wooden missile-proof structures on four wheels, propelled from within, covered over with raw hides, and used in sieges to convey parties of men to and from the walls, for the purpose of filling up the encircling moat with earth. Tu Mu adds that they are now called “wooden donkeys.”]IV Tactical Dispositions10. “To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength;…”[“Autumn” hair” is explained as the fur of a hare, which is finest in autumn, when it begins to grow afresh. The phrase is a very common one in Chinese writers.]General Comment: As a result of stripping out the commentary and leaving just Sun Tzu’s quotes, the book of 68 numbered pages has 10 that are totally blank so that following sections can begin on odd-numbered pages. These blank pages could have been used to explain why the publisher found it necessary to put section nine out of the original order, moving it up to right after section four. For as many reasons I can think to move it, I find the same number of reasons to let it stay. Humbly, I say, “If the honorable Sun Tzu put his sections in a particular order, I’ll respect his choice.” Still not content with Lionel Giles’ translation, the publishers have introduced a couple of typos. The book, however, does include all of Sun Tzu’s advice in his own words, so you’re definitely not getting a “CliffsNotes” version. And, I believe that any ascription of the translation to James Clavell is incorrect. He wrote a foreward, edits, and notes to the book, but I believe he used Giles’ translation.Bottom-line, with this printed book, you will get a fair translation of Sun Tzu’s work (Giles’ 1910 translation is in the public domain). However, IMHO, you’ll often not get the full meaning, and thus wisdom, of Sun Tzu’s thoughts. If that's important to you, you may want to look elsewhere. Live and learn: always “Look inside” when you can!Of possible interest for those interested in strategy, here’s a book on winning strategies used throughout history by 87 master strategists (includes an overview of Sun Tzu): Strategic Advantage: How to Win in War, Business, and Life

Perfect. Nice clean hardcover.