An ancient Chinese military text, The Art of War is a strategic and intellectual examination of the different aspects of warfare, and has served as a foundation of military doctrine from ancient to modern times. With discussions ranging from the use of force to civilian casualties, The Art of War continues to be a relevant and insightful treatise on military engagement.

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Still a source of inspiration for soldiers on the battlefield and managers in the boardroom 2000 years after it was written, Sun-Tzu's The Art of War is the most influential book of strategy in the world, translated from the Chinese by John Minford in Penguin Classics.

'Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting'

For more than two thousand years, Sun-Tzu's The Art of War has provided leaders with profound insights into the use of skill, tactics, psychology and discipline to outwit opponents. Said to have inspired Napoleon, and used by Mao Zedong and General Douglas MacArthur, as well as many famous business gurus, politicians and sports stars, its ancient words of wisdom provide a touchstone for today's managers and executives fighting their boardroom battles. This best-selling book offers ancient wisdom on how to use skill, cunning, tactics and discipline to outwit your opponent.

Little is known for definite about Sun Tzu (544-496 B.C.) and his life during the Warring States period after the decline of the Zhou dynasty, but his classic The Art of War has been one of the central works of Chinese literature for 2500 years.

If you enjoyed The Art of War, you might like Machiavelli's The Prince, also available in Penguin Classics.

'Absorb this book, and you can throw out all those contemporary books about management leadership'
Newsweek

'Reflecting on Sun-Tzu's work is to the business manager what weight lifting is to the champion athlete - an exercise that makes one stronger'
John Kohut, Beijing Bureau Chief, South China Post

"The definitive version of The Art of War for those English speakers who truly want to understand it..." Wisconsin Bookwatch

"The Best...internally consistent between the translated concepts and so shows a level of knowledge and detail that is not present in some other translations. As a translator, the author obviously sees the big picture...Gary Gagliardi is considered by many to be a leading expert in understanding and using the competitive methods embodied in Sun Tzu’s treatise on the art of war." Midwest Book Review

The only translation that shows the original Chinese with a transliteration of each character side-by-side with the English sentence translation. Includes a glossary explaining Sun Tzu's definitions of the key Chinese concepts. There are many translations of The Art of War, but this is only truly accurate version written by America's leading expert on Sun Tzu's system. Winner of the Independent Publishers Book Award for the best Multicultural Nonfiction book of the year!

Seven Ways Better Than All Other Translations!

1. More complete: Based on the complete compilation of all historical sources and academic research rather than on traditional fragmentary sources.


2. More accurate: Shows the original Chinese phrases (thousands of characters), individually translates each character (a transliteration), translates each phrase into an English sentence, and provides details of the key concepts that cannot be translated.


3. More concise: Its side-by-side format makes it impossible to add or subtract from the Chinese source or secretly add the translator’s editorial opinions. All commentaries are clearly separated from the translation and text.


4. More authoritative: Translated by America’s leading expert on Sun Tzu, who has written over two dozen books explaining the strategic concepts in the text.


5. More consistent: Eliminates the imprecise word choices that create the obvious internal contradictions so common in most other translations.


6. More balanced: Offers one English sentence for each Chinese phrase to preserve the balance of ideas in the original work.


7. More organized: Retains and numbers the original phrase groups to preserve the contextual relationships for easy study.

You can compare this version to other translations and immediately see where other English translation depart from the original Chinese into the translators' own opinions and commentaries. This version won the award not just for being the best translation or the best book about Asian philosophy, but the best of all books in 2003 explaining another culture anywhere in the world.Reviews"Supremely Accurate bilingual edition...Each two-page spread features the translated lines into English on one side and the Chinese ideograms with their meanings on the other so that dedicated readers can readily understand the range of meaning in the original text.