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The Art of War
A delightfully illustrated version of Sunzi's classic The Art of War by bestselling cartoonist C. C. Tsai
C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of Sunzi's Art of War, the most profound book on warfare and strategy ever written--a work that continues to be read as a handbook for success not just by military commanders but also by leaders in politics, business, and many other fields.
Conceived by a Chinese warrior-philosopher some 2,500 years ago, The Art of War speaks to those aspiring to rise through the ranks and help build successful countries. How can that goal best be achieved, and what is the role of warfare, if any, in the process? What are the powers and limits of the general in command? How can you win without going to war? Sunzi's answers to these and other questions are brought to life as never before by Tsai's brilliant cartoons, which show Sunzi fighting on dangerous ground, launching a surprise attack, spying on his enemies, and much more.
A marvelously rich introduction to a timeless classic, this book also features a foreword by Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on military strategy, which illuminates how The Art of War has influenced Western strategic thought. In addition, Sunzi's original Chinese text is artfully presented in narrow sidebars on each page, enriching the books for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the self-contained English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an introduction.
C. C. Tsai is one of Asia's most popular cartoonists, and his editions of the Chinese classics have sold more than 40 million copies in over twenty languages. This volume presents Tsai's delightful graphic adaptation of Sunzi's Art of War, the most profound book on warfare and strategy ever written--a work that continues to be read as a handbook for success not just by military commanders but also by leaders in politics, business, and many other fields.
Conceived by a Chinese warrior-philosopher some 2,500 years ago, The Art of War speaks to those aspiring to rise through the ranks and help build successful countries. How can that goal best be achieved, and what is the role of warfare, if any, in the process? What are the powers and limits of the general in command? How can you win without going to war? Sunzi's answers to these and other questions are brought to life as never before by Tsai's brilliant cartoons, which show Sunzi fighting on dangerous ground, launching a surprise attack, spying on his enemies, and much more.
A marvelously rich introduction to a timeless classic, this book also features a foreword by Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on military strategy, which illuminates how The Art of War has influenced Western strategic thought. In addition, Sunzi's original Chinese text is artfully presented in narrow sidebars on each page, enriching the books for readers and students of Chinese without distracting from the self-contained English-language cartoons. The text is skillfully translated by Brian Bruya, who also provides an introduction.
144 pages, ebook
First published May 1, 1991
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147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 28, 2019
The world has paced too long to pass the fastest time of all the time. It's not the big events, it's not the stunning reign of any kingdom rather it's the time for people to experience the busiest lifestyle. It's us, public! Having no time! Modern era!
So many books, so little time to read. So, as soon as I got the illustrated version I grabbed it. But to go through the whole book I've spent 2 weeks+. How thoughtful strategies are they!
This book made me rethink about any kinda war, any kinda meetings too! Gameplans!
The single line I can make out of the reading is, Inequality must be created between the two sides. That's how only one side wins.
Wars only seem physical because we see it in the outrageous time. The facts working behind the actions eclipse the techniques. Really it's more of heart than the arms, and the far more of the brain than the heart! Leadership includes both cleverness and intelligence; though these two are not totally same, but demanded in the same person.
What really politics is and how the power of politics can act— is farmed from The Art of War. The shorter the time is, the more illustrated books are to crave.
So many books, so little time to read. So, as soon as I got the illustrated version I grabbed it. But to go through the whole book I've spent 2 weeks+. How thoughtful strategies are they!
This book made me rethink about any kinda war, any kinda meetings too! Gameplans!
The single line I can make out of the reading is, Inequality must be created between the two sides. That's how only one side wins.
Wars only seem physical because we see it in the outrageous time. The facts working behind the actions eclipse the techniques. Really it's more of heart than the arms, and the far more of the brain than the heart! Leadership includes both cleverness and intelligence; though these two are not totally same, but demanded in the same person.
What really politics is and how the power of politics can act— is farmed from The Art of War. The shorter the time is, the more illustrated books are to crave.
January 29, 2021
A nice translation!
March 26, 2025
Explains many obvious-sounding yet insightful tactics for war that are rooted in Chinese practical tradition. It’s pretty clear why this book has continued to be so popular in the modern world, and many of the lessons are applicable to modern problems that we all face.
The illustrations are brilliant and make the book incredibly easy to follow. I struggled with the dryness of the original, and this edition enabled me to follow the story while preserving the integrity of the lessons Sun Tzu introduced.
I’m going to attempt to summarize:
To win a war, you must attack only when necessary or when you are certain of victory. Maintain a strong defense at all times. Protect your supply lines at all costs, but pillage the enemy’s supplies whenever you can. Know the terrain and how it affects your position and the enemies, have reliable spies scattered in all levels of the enemy’s nation, be able to command your troops to move as one unit.
In short, war is not won on whims and ignorant charges without strategy. You must understand and wield strategy to win.
The illustrations are brilliant and make the book incredibly easy to follow. I struggled with the dryness of the original, and this edition enabled me to follow the story while preserving the integrity of the lessons Sun Tzu introduced.
I’m going to attempt to summarize:
To win a war, you must attack only when necessary or when you are certain of victory. Maintain a strong defense at all times. Protect your supply lines at all costs, but pillage the enemy’s supplies whenever you can. Know the terrain and how it affects your position and the enemies, have reliable spies scattered in all levels of the enemy’s nation, be able to command your troops to move as one unit.
In short, war is not won on whims and ignorant charges without strategy. You must understand and wield strategy to win.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2024
Take any great non-fiction book, and its graphic illustrations would require multiplying the number of pages to convey the same message as written text. But recall how short the regular translation of this text is (60 pages), which allows this book to remain conveniently sized despite the cartoon illustrations. More importantly, it effectively uses its format to illustrate key ideas while enhancing the reader's intuition about the context.
The introduction by translator Brian Bruya is excellent, providing readers with a general overview of the history of Chinese philosophy and its relation to war, while highlighting the differences from Western culture. Is war a political tool, or is it a result of lack of quality in politics?
Overall, this is a very entertaining piece. Have this in your self, and you won't need a traditional text version. While I do not expect to read any more cartoon books, this one was definitely worth the experience.
The introduction by translator Brian Bruya is excellent, providing readers with a general overview of the history of Chinese philosophy and its relation to war, while highlighting the differences from Western culture. Is war a political tool, or is it a result of lack of quality in politics?
Overall, this is a very entertaining piece. Have this in your self, and you won't need a traditional text version. While I do not expect to read any more cartoon books, this one was definitely worth the experience.
March 26, 2025
great book + fun visuals.
a commander must know the environment, know when to attack, know when not to attack, know how to attack, know when and how to be flexible, know the terrain.
a commander must understand the enemy, understand the positions one is in relation to the enemy, understand the circumstances, understand the cost of waging war, understand the main causes of defeat.
a commander must learn from water, fire, mountain, wind, clouds, thunder, ground, trees, serpent, lions, hawks, horses, sun, moon.
the depth of military strategy is fascinating!
a commander must know the environment, know when to attack, know when not to attack, know how to attack, know when and how to be flexible, know the terrain.
a commander must understand the enemy, understand the positions one is in relation to the enemy, understand the circumstances, understand the cost of waging war, understand the main causes of defeat.
a commander must learn from water, fire, mountain, wind, clouds, thunder, ground, trees, serpent, lions, hawks, horses, sun, moon.
the depth of military strategy is fascinating!
October 15, 2020
Aquilo que mais interessante achei sobre este livro é o facto de ainda hoje se dar tanta atenção a estas orientações para quem se veja envolvido num conflito e dele pretenda sair vitorioso. Não é por acaso que, para lá dos círculos militares, A Arte da guerra seja lida nos meios políticos, mas acima de tudo, empresariais. Um livro sobre estratégia que circula há mais de 2400 anos e do qual se continuam a tirar lições!
February 14, 2023
Uma adaptação simples do clássico chinês. Desenhos bem conseguidos e mensagens assertivas como regras. Uma boa forma de conhecer o livro e a filosofia da guerra.
September 24, 2022
This is quite entertaining and very easy to understand.
May 15, 2022
A re-read of an illustrated translation I believe I read in the 1990s. Charming illustrations and what I can only imagine to be a decent translation, never having grappled with the original. However, I believe the Art of War to be inferior, at least in terms of entertainment value, and maybe even in war advice (!) to the 36 Stratagems, which has an illustrated translation by Wang Xuanming that I remember very much enjoying and re-reading several times.
November 15, 2018
A great visual representation of the classic
July 7, 2016
Finally finished this brilliant book. :)
May 25, 2018
Fascinating read. This is an English translated comic book version of The Art of War. Much of the information has been simplified. The only thing I disliked was that the original was written 5th century BC, and therefore the portrayal of women is not pretty.
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April 3, 2019Read it not only for the content but also the graphics. In the preface, the author notes how 武 is the combo of 止 and 戈. How did I not notice how antithetical that was when I learned it?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews