The Art of War: Complete Text and Commentaries

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 474 pages
• Published by: Shambhala June 10, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1590300548
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1590300541
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

Product Review
"Thomas Cleary's translation of The Art of War makes immediately relevant one of the greatest Chinese classical texts. There's not a dated maxim or vague prescription in it. . . .You can throw out all those contemporary books about management and leadership."— Newsweek

Product Description
Sun Tzu's Art of War , compiled more than two thousand years ago, is a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict. It is perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world today. Now, this unique volume brings together the essential versions of Sun Tzu's text, along with illuminating commentaries and auxiliary texts written by distinguished strategists. The translations, by the renowned translator Thomas Cleary, have all been published previously in book form, except for The Silver Sparrow Art of War, which is available here for the first time. This comprehensive collection contains: The Art of War: This edition of Sun Tzu's text includes the classic collection of commentaries by eleven interpreters. Mastering the Art of War: Consisting of essays by two prominent statesmen-generals of Han dynasty China, Zhuge Liang and Liu Ji, this book develops the strategies of Sun Tzu's classic into a complete handbook of organization and leadership. It draws on episodes from Chinese history to show in concrete terms the proper use of Sun Tzu's principles. The Lost Art of War: Written more than one hundred years after Sun Tzu's text, by Sun Bin, a linear descendant of Sun Tzu, this classic of political and military strategy is faithful to the principles of The Art of War , while developing their practical application much further. The Silver Sparrow Art of War: A version of Sun Tzu's Art of War based on a manuscript of the classic text discovered at a Chinese archeological site in China's Shandong Province in 1972, which contains previously unknown fragments.

Reader Reviews
Dr. Thomas Cleary as with many of his translated works on Eastern religion/philosophy and Islam, brings us yet another excellent rendition of a classic in basic strategy. Not only does he bring the Master Sun Tzu's classic along with its eleven commentators from various periods, he also provides us additional material whether it be essays from classical Chinese strategists, The Lost Art of War by Sun Bin, descendant of Sun Tzu, and of course Silver Sparrow Art of War which a version of the Art of War which contains previously unknown fragments that further illuminates the text we are so familiar with. This is a must for anyone interested in Chinese classics and for those who have an interest in basic strategy that can be implemented not only in the battlefield but in other aspects of life itself.