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 centrepiece, 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.
- ISBN10 0465072046
- ISBN13 9780465072040
- Publish Date 4 October 2005
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 5 March 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Basic Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 192
- Language English