The Art of War

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Summary: Literary Pemmican
Review: This version of the Art of War gives a useful history of what is known about Sun Tzu and China of the Warring States. This helps to put the work of Sun Tzu into a hisorical context.

Furthermore, the use of Sun Tzu by Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao) who brought the world's attention to the Art of War, is explored.

The translation itself is handled in as straightforward a manner as possible to put the sections of the work into context. Sun Tzu reads like a checklist of things you have to do, or not do, to achieve success. But each point on the checklist summarises a wealth of experience and argument.

A must for any politician, military officer or senior businessmen, and anyone writing about politics, war or business.

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Summary: TAOW - A true engagement of strategies, stardom & skills
Review: The true object of all war is peace & its requires supreme excellence of knowledge to dismantle enemies resistance without fighting, wiz-a-wig all kinds of intelligence, discipline, deviations - multi-dimensional factors dictate the matter of life, death and the road to , says Shiladitya 'Sunny' Ghosh in a book review of "The Art of War" edited and fore worded by James Clavell.

Very little seems to have changed since last 2,500 years when Sun Tzu, the great Chinese Philosopher wrote "The Art of War" with respect to philosophies of fighting wars. They are still driven by the law of Moral, Commander, Earth, Heaven and Methods of the Majesties commission. But what might have transformed lies in conditions & present resources of war.

Thirteen chapters of must enforceable laws & a foreword on the author Sun Tzu covers the entire spectrum of waging wars. From waging wars to the use of spies, intermingled brilliantly with tactics out of history this book has served as the stratagem guide to Napoleon & the Soviet political-military hierarchy, where it is obligatory bible for soldiers studying the art of war.

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Summary: This book can change your life
Review: This is great! You must buy and read this book.

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Summary: Why pay for public domain texts?
Review: The Art of War is a classic, but it's also public domain, so you can save yourself the 10 bucks by downloading one of the innumerable free copies on the net.

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Summary: Abridged to Death
Review: This was a well-spoken, well read and nicely translated version of Sun-Tzu's master piece. It also is too short. I felt that since it was so cheap it probably was a good value, but I also have to convey my sense of disappointment in its length and depth. Would I buy this had I heard it once? No. But now that I do own it, I will listen to it many, many times.

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Summary: The act of waging and winning Wars
Review: Sun Tzu explores the psychological motivations for power and discipline in 'Art of War'. His work is ostensibly about tactics and day to day practice of warfare. As Sun Tzu was a keen observer of human nature, 'the Art of war' is filled with advise useful not only for those engaged in war but also for those carrying on their normail lives.

The strategic and tactical doctrines expounded in 'The Art of War' are based on deception, the creation of false appearance to mystify and delude the enemy; the indirect approach; readily adaptability to the enemy situation' flexible and co-ordinate maneover of combat elements and speedy concentration against point of weekness. The best policy is to attack the enemy plans to prevent him from acting; then disrupt his alliances; creating a wedge amongst the people in state.

In the 'Art of War' the underlying tone is discipline. The general has to spend considerable amount of energy in emphasizing the need for discipline. Discipline via fear is however useful only up to a point. There must be a motivating force for all people who aspire to succeed, whether in the field of business, politics, administration, government or warfare. Wars cannot be won by just mere strength but it is on a conglomeration of factors, which need to be accounted. Sun Tzu emphasizes the need to take the moral of oneself and its enemy, the environment and other barriers into consideration. The moral strength and intellectual faculty of men were decisive in war, and that if these were applied war could be waged with certain success. Never to be undertaken thoughtlessly or recklessly, war was to be preceded by measures designed to make it easy to win. The master conqueror frustrates his enemy plans and breaks his alliances; he creates cleavages between the sovereign and minister, superior and inferiors, commanders and subordinates. His spies and agents are active everywhere, gathering information, sowing dissention and nurturing subversion. The enemy needs to be isolated and demoralized and his will to resist broken, thus without battle his army is conquered his cities taken and his state overthrown.

Sun Tzu is a very vigilant and keen observers on human psychology.

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Summary: The Art of War
Review: This is great book, its advice still applies today.

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Summary: Still very pertinent!
Review: How can I say (with a straight face), that a book written over two thousand years and on the precarious nature being the art of war, as being still pertinent. Well, if this book in question happens to be The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Samuel B. Griffith (Introduction) this question is answered by a resounding yes. Sun Tzu here describes ways of how to lead an army, how to utilize military strategy and how to study one's opponents strenghts and weakneses. Highly Recomended.

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Summary: The Art of War for Women, Too
Review: As an astrologer, metaphysician and VisionCoach, I have been recommending this book to my clients, most of whom are women and most of whom would never have considerd reading such a book as this unless I had pointed it out to them. I think it is a shame more women don't read this book. I have been a student of military history for many years and I understand that in many ways, life is war. This book, in such a beautiful new translation by James Cleary, teaches us excellent metaphysics in the most ancient of ways. Learn how to nip your problems in the bud, like the doctor's "famous eldest brother". Read this quick, easy and user-friendly version of a classic theory of prevention that has stood the test of time. And, please, tell a woman friend!!

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Summary: This is not just about war...
Review: the ideals of long ago are just as true today as they are today. The Art of War is not just about war but about all relationships great & small. take the advice in the book to heart, live it & reap the rewards.