The Art of War (Penguin Classics)

This particular book spends more time trying to identify and qualify SunTzu's writings than just quoting them. I will not go through all the arguments as to who "wrote what when" or "translated what when" as you can read this for yourself.

Another distraction is the attempt to show how the book was applied or not applied in recent wars. This may be interesting to someone who's intention is to apply the theories of Sun Tzu; however it is not his writing but someone else's interpretation of its application.

Now lets finally get to Sun Tzu. 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 thy 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Now just as you decide that the book is outdated for any practical purposes today we have artillery and now stealth and precision, the reminder that "no two wars are alike" and "it is flexibility that makes a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 wold for war or business.


Remarkable text, though hard going!   December 12, 2002
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This certainly is a very impressive piece of work, and worth reading at least once in a lifetime! Sun Tzu provides very valuable, clearly constructed guidance in the conduct of war, conflict and diplomacy.
The work seems small in size, but is incredibly detailed and specific in the information it provides. Reading this book certainly helps with understanding how, why and where conflicts develop and (as the foreward discusses)guards against many of the mistakes made in more recent military conflicts.
Some of the statements seem like truisms or common sense, but then all these thousands of years on (and with the benefit of much hindsight) that maybe isn't a fair judgement.
In places the 'rules' seem to contradict each other, particularly in the context of discipline; for example in one place there is talk of being fair and hearing all evidence before doling out proportional punishments where appropriate, and elsewhere advise is given to act decisively with immediate lethal force if there are any suspicions of disloyalty. Both are valid hypotheses, probably both employed by the vast majority of armed forces around the world, however when is one a more appropriate course of action than the other?
I cannot say whether the ambiguity is down to the original author, or a vagueness somewhere in the translation. It is difficult to know without learning to read ancient chinese, however contradictions and ambiguities are common in the text and not discussed by the author in his comments.
I regard that as a bit of a weakness.
Also, there are many examples given in support of Sun Tzu's assertions relating to conflicts that took place in his day and in the preceding centuries. These are very difficult to understand without the benefit of diagrams, timelines and a bit more explanation of the diplomatic context. They would make perfect sense to a scholar of ancient chinese history, but do not illuminate the text for me.

In conclusion, Sun Tzu produced an amazing text, with a massive amount of his work still being relevant in a modern context, and not just in the arena of armed conflict. This particular translation is more suited to a historian who studies Sun Tzu as part of research into that period of history, and already knows the context (or knows where to look for more info). For the rest of us, a different more interpretive translation may be better suited.


A great book, but ....   July 25, 2002
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

This is one of the classic books in relation to military strategy. Although widely and bullishly referenced in the business world, anyone seriously considering applying the lessons to business should first answer a very simple question:
"If war is a metaphor for business then where is the customer?"

There are still a few lessons that can be applied to business including the concept of "first mover advantage". Many of the dotcoms would have done well to have read this particular aspect in TAoW - attacking a special forces platoon with a baseball bat is still going to end badly even if you are first mover.

But an incredible read anyhow and all the more astounding to think that Sun Tzu gained enough practical experience to write it in the first place.

Anyone with a real penchant for military strategy should get hold of Norman Dixon's "On the psychology of military incompetence" (This is recommended reading at Sandhurst and many Business Schools)


A classic on strategy and still relevant after 2500 years   January 30, 2002
 4 out of 18 found this review helpful

A classic on the strategy of war that is relevant to todays corporate world! This is a book that impacts the world of management and marketing and should be required reading on any management or marketing course. For every comment that Sun Tsu makes can be transferred into todays corporate world.

For me Sun Tzu was one of the world's first corporate managers - informed, focused decisive, and determined - a winner in every sense of the word. If we follow his basic rules we have every chance of suceeding in any field of activity in any country!