What do you think?
Rate this book
The Essential Art of War
Ralph D. Sawyer is the preeminent scholar and translator on Sun-tzu's masterful work. More than 200,000 copies of his Sun-tzu Art of War and more than 55,000 copies of The Complete Art of War have been sold. The Art of War is the most famous study of strategy ever written and has had an extraordinary influence on the history of warfare. The Essential Art of War brings Sun-tzu's classic work to a new, uninitiated readership. This clear and compact volume presumes no prior knowledge of the subject and presents only the material that is essential to understanding this text. Using his best-selling Art of War translation as the centerpiece, Sawyer has re-approached every chapter to include an introduction and closing commentary that deliver the key concepts. An introduction to the volume on the relevance of Sun-tzu's teachings, a chronology, historical background on the translation itself, and a bibliographic essay are also included. The Essential Art of War is presented in an attractive 208-page hardcover volume with foiled jacket, stamped case, and ribbon marker, in a convenient gift size.
139 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2005
16 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 24, 2022
"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu written in the approximately 2500 years ago is one of those books you should read. It is the ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work is composed of 13 chapters. Each one is devoted to a different set of skills (or "art") related to warfare and how it applies to military strategy and tactics. It is work that is not only used for war but can be adapted to so much in life. Business, law, politics, personal relationships it has something to offer. It really strikes me as book of common sense and if you keep your wits about you then you should prevail. Reading the book just reaffirms this straightforward belief. One final note about the manual for war that is remarkable is that a lot of its wisdom is invested in not fight, winning the war without the fight.
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
1 He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
2 He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
3 He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
4 He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
5 He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
A reconfirmation of one's common sense read!
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
1 He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
2 He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
3 He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
4 He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
5 He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
A reconfirmation of one's common sense read!
September 26, 2024
In spite of its in-depth analysis of the historical context of this influential work, the organization of the information leaves it to be dense in the middle while sandwiched between two more interesting pieces marking the beginning and end.
The first part features the original Art of War and explains strategies for successful military deployment. The phrase "know thy enemy, know thyself" really does capture the essence of what this work tries to explain. Knowledge of yourself, your troops, your surroundings, and of your enemy is only half of what it takes to succeed, and the other half is taking action appropriately.
The historical analysis taking up the majority of the book is informative but could have been better communicated by interspersing it in the original work. Though, this may be up to personal preference.
The last section gives an overview of each of the tenets and explains them more in depth with explanations of definitions and needed historical context. This, too, would have benefited from being presented earlier rather than later.
3/5
The first part features the original Art of War and explains strategies for successful military deployment. The phrase "know thy enemy, know thyself" really does capture the essence of what this work tries to explain. Knowledge of yourself, your troops, your surroundings, and of your enemy is only half of what it takes to succeed, and the other half is taking action appropriately.
The historical analysis taking up the majority of the book is informative but could have been better communicated by interspersing it in the original work. Though, this may be up to personal preference.
The last section gives an overview of each of the tenets and explains them more in depth with explanations of definitions and needed historical context. This, too, would have benefited from being presented earlier rather than later.
3/5
May 6, 2023
Very well written considering it was originally written in the 15th century. Principles stand to this day. Worth re-reading as many times as you want. Can be applied to the business world and ones personal life
March 14, 2020
Great translation, very informative. Made me want to read more of Chinas history.
July 26, 2020
I say it's overrated
August 14, 2020
Interesting, expansive read.
July 11, 2022
This should be a required read for high school history students.
May 13, 2023
Gud buk. Finaly i will win argument in Twitter
November 4, 2012
This is a fantastic book for history buffs interested in Asian history and classics. Ralph D. Sawyer's translation of the Art of War, and in its historical context, is one of the best translations I have read.
July 2, 2015
This should be a required read for high school history students.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews