The Definitive Translation with Over Two Million Copies Sold
The most prestigious and influential book on strategy and dealing with conflict, beautifully translated for clear, accessible reading—including commentaries by other ancient Chinese philosophers and strategists. From esteemed translator Thomas Cleary and including commentary from philosophers such as Cao Cao, Du Mu, and Du You, this timeless Chinese classic captures the essence of military strategy used in ancient East Asia, with lessons on how to handle conflict confidently, efficiently, and successfully. As Sun Tzu teaches, aggression and response in kind can lead only to destruction—we must learn to work with conflict in a more profound and effective way. Crucial to this strategic vision is knowledge—especially self-knowledge—and a view of the whole that seeks to bring the conflicting ideas around to a larger perspective.
The techniques and instructions discussed in
The Art of War apply to competition and conflict on every level, from the interpersonal to the international. A study of the anatomy of forces in conflict, it has been discovered by modern businesspeople who understand the principles it contains are as useful for understanding the interactions of modern corporations as they are for understanding the tactics of ancient Chinese armies. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through an understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.
Thomas Cleary’s translation is a breakthrough achievement that has been a gold standard among translations for three decades, offering the complete text in eminently readable prose with short commentaries by other ancient Chinese strategists and philosophers interwoven throughout. Cleary’s work allows innumerable insights to be discovered through this translation millennia after this oral teaching was first set down.
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. This comprehensive collection contains:
"The Art of War: This edition of Sun Tzu's text includes the classic collection of commentaries by eleven interpreters. "Thomas Cleary's translation of "The "Art of War makes immediate 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.
"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 Chinesearcheological site in China's Shandong Province in 1972, which contains previously unknown fragments.
