The Illustrated Art of War |  | Author: Sun Tzu
Creator: Samuel B. Griffith
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 183,313
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 019518999X
Dewey Decimal Number: 355.02
EAN: 9780195189995
ASIN: 019518999X
Publication Date: October 15, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
With well over a million copies sold, Sun Tzu's The Art of War is a true masterpiece, a series of brilliant aphorisms that illuminate the planning and conduct of war. Now this classic work is available in an elegant illustrated edition, featuring seventy-five color and black-and-white images. From perceptive descriptions of the nine varieties of terrain, to advice on how to gage an enemy's weaknesses and strengths, to suggestions on the employment of secret agents, here is timeless advice on combat and military strategy. Sun Tzu's writings are unsurpassed in depth of understanding, shedding light not only on battlefield maneuvers, but also on the relevant economic, political, and psychological factors that can shape the outcome of warfare. Equally important, the precepts outlined by Sun Tzu over two thousand years ago can be applied with great success outside the theater of war. Indeed, it is read avidly by corporate executives worldwide and has been touted in the movie Wall Street and the television series The Sopranos as the ultimate guide to strategy. Finally, this edition offers the definitive translation of Sun Tzu's text, by former U.S. Marine Brigadier General Samuel Griffith, who was also an authority of Mao Tse-Tung. Remarkable for its clear organization, lucid prose, and the acuity of its intellectual and moral insights, The Art of War is the definitive study of combat. It is an essential book for military history buffs, and an ideal gift for anyone who is interested in tactics and strategy, whether on the battlefield or in the boardroom.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
Definitive Translation with Superb Illustrations February 21, 2006
Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas)
19 out of 21 found this review helpful
I do not recall the first time I read Sun Tzu's The Art of War but it must have been at least 35 years ago. Frankly, during that first reading, I saw no relevance of any of his various strategies to the business world. Nor did I have any interest whatsoever in a military career. What fascinated me then were Sun Tzu insights concerning the importance of deception: when small, seem great...and vice versa; when far away, seem near...and vice versa; when exhausted, seem robust...and vice versa. Etc. Of course, I failed to realize at that time that the Viet Cong, for example, effectively used many of the same strategies based on deception to defeat superior French and then US forces in what was then Indo-China. In fact, throughout preceding military history, there are countless other examples of warfare during which numerically inferior forces prevailed by exploiting advantages created by stealth, speed, hit-and-run attacks, etc.
What we have in this volume is Samuel B. Griffith's superb translation of Sun Tzu's The Art of War, accompanied by elegant illustrations and supplemented by informative background material which includes biographies of Sun Tzu (in Griffith's preface) and various commentators (in Appendix II). Also, and equally important, background information which establishes a frame-of-reference within which to gain a better understanding of the age during which Sun Tzu lived. I also appreciate the reader-friendly lay-out which juxtaposes primary text with pleasing illustrations and complementary sources.
As I recently read The Illustrated Art of War, I was again reminded of statistics which Michael Gerber provides in E-Myth Mastery: "Of the 1 million U.S. small businesses started this year [2005], more than 80% of them will be out of business within 5 years and 96% will have closed their doors before their 10th birthday." These are indeed chilling statistics. I wonder how many small companies which fail could have survived, if not prospered, had their owners/CEOs read and then effectively applied the strategies which Sun Tzu recommends.
Most (if not all) of those strategies are also relevant to much larger organizations. Consider what Jack Welch once said during one of GE's annual meetings when explaining why he admires small companies: "For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy." Of course, there are other editions of The Art of War (including one also featuring the Griffith translation) but I prefer this one for reasons previously indicated.
In recent years, there has been a number of excellent books which also examine many of the same strategies within a business context, notably Paul Flowers' Underdog Advertising, Jason Jennings' Less Is More and Think Big, Act Small as well as Robert Tomasko's Bigger Isn't Always Better: The New Mindset for Real Business Growth, Bo Burlingham's Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, Gerald Michaelson's Sun Tzu: The Art of War For Managers, and Mark McNeilly's Sun Tzu and the Art of Business.
Beautiful Edition of a Timeless Classic January 23, 2006
John Matlock (Winnemucca, NV)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
It has to be a little strange that we are still reading Sun Tzu's book. It's been at least 2,000 years since it was written (We don't know exactly when it was written, most guesses are from 100 to 600 BCE.) and we really don't know if Sun Tzu even existed (Some say it was written by a group of unknown Chinese philosophers.)
You would think that the situations in ancient China would be so different that they would have no lesson at all to our modern times. Yet it turns out that the book is still read. It is read by military men, by atheletes, and by corporate executives.
The way it is written, the philosophies it expouses seem to have timeless meaning and when we read the words we recognize some things about our own situations, our own lives. Perhaps like the Bible, there are universal truths that do not dimish with time.
This is a beautiful edition of the book. It has the S. B. Griffith translation, combined with some 75 illustrations (mostly color). The illustrations are photographs, paintings, or art objects from China that keep in the spirit of the book and remind us of another culture as well as of another time.
eager for audiobook of this April 11, 2007
L. Jin
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
As a Chinese, I can say that author grasp the essence of Art of war and the English is beautiful.
I see adiobook on this topic. What no one for this version? strongly suggest and if come out I would buy it firstly.
Great edition for gift giving July 10, 2007
S Hahn (Houston, TX United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This edition makes for a terrific gift for the college graduate. The illustrations and photos add visual interest; the text layout makes for "easy" reading. Although we already own several editions of this classic, this will be added to our personal collection.
Caveat Emptor March 28, 2009
D. Henderson
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
For some reason Amazon cannot get Sunzi right. The link to the audio edition of the Griffith translation is to a different translator's work. Some of the reviews here refer to Cleary's illustrated translation, not Griffith's. The link to paperback editions of this work are to Cleary's, not Griffith's etc.
Having said that, if you can figure out what edition is being offered, Griffith's translation offers many strengths. It is translated by someone who not only read the work, but practiced and theorized on unconventional warfare himself. There are questions as to whether his translation is perfectly accurate. It is said that the great Three Kingdoms strategist Cao Cao also misinterpreted the Sunzi in his commentary. So, while not strictly accurate to the letter, both enhanced the spirit.
There are other very good translations, Sawyer, Ames, etc. But Griffith's is the one I turn to first.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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