The Complete Art of War

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View books by Sun Tzu, Sun Pin, Ralph D. Sawyer.

FAR MORE THAN JUST 5 STARS!!!!! - Rated
I've read this book for 3 times now (in two diffrent lenguages) and it just keeps getting better. It is a powerful book in warfare and is the basis of modern military thinkers. I train in the art of Shinobi and was my delight to know that the Iga region clans used this book as part of their basic strategies. Sun Tzu will always be a military genious. It is a must for Martial Artist, Law enforcers, Military personnal, Business men, and everyday person. Get it!!!!!!

INSIGHTFUL, NONWESTERN POINT OF VIEW - Rated
The title of the two books refer to the art of the war; as such they fulfil their purpose excelently.

I am a classicist and at first I was ``enstranged'' by the style of the narrative, which is a kind of authoritative rather than of an argumentative one. In the west following the Greek past masters one is used in more dialectic kind of works.

With this warning, one can enjoy many insights in the art of war (eternal ones). It would be interesting if one day a comparison between ancient chinese and ancient greek strategy is done (the latter based for example in the works of Xenofon; but unfortunately the masterpieces of greek strategic thought were lost in the destruction of the Alexandrian Library).

I put 3 stars instead of 5 which Sun Tsu deserves, because there is a couple of things i did not like in the edition: the text is abridged (parts are missing), and the translators have left certain words like tao, yin, yang et cetera without trying to explain what they mean to a european. It is not a bad translation but it could be better