Rating: 
Summary: War, not business.
Review: This is a well-edited edition of Sun Tzu; the only aspect that left something to be desired was the inclusion of illustrative anecdotes; I would have preferred if they were left to the end of the chapter.I can understand why this book was a fad in the business world but object to claims that the tactics described in this book are easily applied to business. This is a book about conflict, specifically, war, and there is much wisdom lost if it is taken out of its context. There is much excellent advice for analogous situations; political persuasion and debate, games of Go, Shogi or Chess, or even sporting events. When taken from the world of conflict to the business, the realm of cooperation (in the sense that competing businesses compete to cooperate the best with their customers), The Art of War becomes yet another tome of "Eastern" sayings which sound pretty and can be "applied to any situation" only because they come to mean very little. Those who will be in a conflict situation or wish to prepare for one, even if it is a simple game of Go, should study this book. Read the text and the anecdotes, and come back later to read it again gaining fresh insight.
Rating: 
Summary: The best guide to strategic thinking
Review: It's not only about strategy of war. We can all these things easy translate into our business situation. That's the most important part of a good book about strategy. The book is very practical and easy to read. My point of view is, that Sun Tzu describes perfect all strategic actions, what could be easy implemented by any people of the earth. It does not depend, where you live (on which region or country), what you are (man or woman) or how old you are. You can all his advice's translate into your situation and I am 100% assured, that you will succeed in your actions.
Rating:
Summary: A timeless classic that has practical application
Review: I got this particular edition of Sun Tzu's Art of War at a strategy course for sales. I already had a copy of it at home, but this edition is so nicely done that I gave my old copy away and kept this one. The introduction of James Clavell is a nice touch. It is amazing to me that this book is not read in high schools or colleges in favor of Machiavelli's work (The Prince or The Art of War.) Sun Tzu's writing is clear and to the point. Unlike the popular Book of Five Rings by Musashi, this book is not metaphorical and poetic; it's downright practical. And it's not hard to read, unlike many classics. If you are doing business in China, this is also a good book to know. I mentioned some of the classic strategies while giving a course in China, and every member of the class had read it, knew it well, and gave me many examples from recent Chinese history where Sun Tzu's strategies were employed. This book is close to their hearts, and will give you insight if you are doing business in the East. Of course, the most famous anecdote from this book is about gaining the obedience of troops; the emperor, wishing to interview Sun Tzu for the commission of general, asked if Sun Tzu's military principles could be applied to women. Sun Tzu replied yes, the principles worked for women as well as men. Accordingly, Sun Tzu was given the task of organizing the emperor's many concubines into an army. Sun Tzu lined up the concubines and set the two favorites as officers at the head of the columns. He gave them a simple set of orders to march and drill (eyes front, right face, about face. The drums sounded and instead of following the commands, the girls simply giggled and blushed. He repeated the orders again, saying that if the orders were not clear, it is first the fault of the general. He repeated the commands, and the girls simply stood and giggled again. "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders ARE clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers." Upon saying this, he ordered the two concubines at the head of the troop, favorites of the emperor, to be beheaded. The emperor hurriedly sent down the command to stop, he had no desire to see his favorites executed. The emperor said "We are satisfied that the general knows how to command." But Sun Tzu said, "Once having received the commission, there are certain commands I am unable to accept." And he ordered the two favorites to be beheaded. Once again, he gave the commands. The concubines marched, whirled about and drilled in perfect order. The emperor appointed Sun Tzu general.
Rating:
Summary: Straight to the point
Review: Going to war? No matter if it's a marketing campaign, dealing w/that antagnistic co-worker, or playing a game of chess this is the book that you should have close at hand. True to the original text this easy to read primer for strategy & tactics describes when & what do regardless of the situation with one admonishment from The Master himself "But remember: While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules and modify your plans accordingly." This dynamic prompts the user to look for more ways to insert the sage advice of this great man. A bit more detailed & secular than Miyamoto Musashi's "A Book Of Five Rings" it is the perfect supplemental and complentary guide w/these two books you can conquer any adversary.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece, with much to say to today's leaders
Review: This is a wonderful treatise on strategic thought. For whatever reason, Sun Tzu wrote in such a way as to let his text be as applicable today as it was 2400 years ago. Political, business, and military leaders would be well served by reading this book. It is obviously not just a book on warfare. Very little, in fact, is dedicated to actual battle. Sun Tzu argues that in order to win you must win before the battle actually takes place. You must put in place winning strategies to weaken your enemy's position and bolster yours. So Sun Tzu can state, without disrespect to his ancestors: "Anciently those called skilled in war conquered an enemy easily conquered." This text must have been amazingly practical when it was written (even more than now) because there are lots of anecdotes and tactics that ancient military leaders would have found very useful. Even now, these examples are incredible useful for modern day readers.
Rating:
Summary: A fine edition of a fine text
Review: Sun Tzu's treatise is treated tremendously in this translation. Most folks are aware of the importance of this work, and Clavell's version adds to its importance by improving its readability.
Rating:
Summary: The Art of War, and Life - a timeless and universal text
Review: The Art of War by Sun Tzu covers the basic premises on how to wage war and command troops, much like Machiavelli's Il Principe instructs aspiring rulers the proper way to govern a country. Although the books are similar, The Art of War applies to many more aspects of life than just the conquest of territory. It can easily be carried over into the office, into the home, and even into personal romances. The topics are so broad they can be applied to almost anything yet the details discussed are applicable to every scenario you can think of. Sun Tzu covers all as he describes the proper course of action to take in all scopes from the entirety of the war to the relations with the individual soldier. Everything from maneuvering troops, to the proper use of various classes of spies is covered in the book, as Tzu describes himself nothing can be omitted from this timeless classic as "The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected." (1). As history has unfolded, it has never been devoid of wars, and does not appear to be in our future. The foreword presents fascinating insight into how great rulers are said to have used and succeeded with The Art of War, prestigious rulers such as Napoleon. This universal applicability of The Art of War is one of its most enticing and lasting appeals. The book leaves nothing out, covering every aspect of war and its orchestration. Thus it successfully dictates the best course of action to take whether you're a CEO or just another guy looking to pin his relationship down. The foreword is excellent as well, it does a good job setting up the book and giving a brief and quite interesting background of the book's history. The only negative comment I have is the odd editing works during the book when the editor re-summarizes some of the original text into his own words, as that text lacks the power and simplicity of the other directly translated text. This book is definitely worth the read! Take your time to see how Sun Tzu's writing apply to your own life and you will see how powerful his words are, as it will provide insight into almost any situation you're in.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent translation
Review: I will not delve deeply into the subject matter of this book, as I am sure almost all of the other reviewers have done so already. Let it suffice to say that this is one of the most, if not the most, engaging and well thought out books on strategy ever written. That said, I have read several translations of this marvelous book, and this one is the best I have encountered. Each one states the tenets of the original in a slightly different, but sometimes significant, way, and Griffiths succeeds in making his the most immediate, the most accessible, and the most sensible of them all, which is, after all, unsurprising, considering he made his career as a soldier, and as a scholar-warrior possesses a keener understanding of the principles involved than a simple savant would. If you cannot read it in the Chinese, read this translation; you won't be sorry.
Rating:
Summary: I would like to have read the actual words translated
Review: I agree with the others who have commented that they would have liked to have read the actual translation, rather than the constant editorializing by the author. Certainly, his comments were insightful, but I would have rather have heard them in a separately noted section, or with different type or SOMEthing. Still, I was able to get the point of the matter, and I can see how marketing folks use exactly this to win all sorts of 'wars' on their target market, etc. And while this information is informative enough, I took a defense manual from it also. It seems that there is way too much of this as common knowledge. It does help to win in competitive situations, however I see this limited to sports. In this context, for me, it works.
Rating:
Summary: No education is complete without it!
Review: This timeless classic provides keen insight for winning battles of any kind. The elegantly brief lists of confrontational scenarios and tactical responses in this almost poetic text have informed great leaders of State and business for centuries. You'll be quoting this one to your grandkids. The Microsoft Reader format makes this a handy reference that is both convenient and accessible, whenever you need tactical support.
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