Product Description

The two political classics in this book are the product of a time of intense turmoil in Chinese history. Dating from the Period of the Warring States (403-221BC), they anticipate Machiavelli's The Prince by nearly 2000 years. The Art of War is the best known of a considerable body of Chinese works on the subject. It analyses the nature of war, and reveals how victory may be ensured. The Book of Lord Shang is a political treatise for the instruction of rulers. These texts are anything but armchair strategy or ivory-tower speculation. They are serious, urgent and practical responses to the desperate situations in which they were written. They have been immensely influential both inside and outside China.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28316 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02-19
• Original language: Mandarin Chinese
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

The art of war
Wordsworth Classics picked a really good translation of The Art of War. Unlike many business books about the Art of War, this one works best because they have not tried to over analyse it or directly tie it into business. I think that this book is powerful because it acts as a framework to think about problems rather than suggesting answers to business issues. Also for the money, you can't argue.

Probably ties for the most read book in my collection with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

a great book if you like war tactics
the original war code of conduct, written over 1,000 years ago, and translated into many languages, The Art Of War is a great book about ancient china's tactics to defeat other armies, and an astonishing account of many previous battles.