This book contains the iconic quote:"Know the enemy and know yourself, in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated."The translation is a bit "dry" and uses difficult terms of war (which I have to look up in the dictionary too many times). If you can take it to have the atmosphere, then go ahead.I skipped the second part of commentary though.

Attacking the world of wars through the two Grand Masters, Lord Shuan and Lord Sun Tsu, sculpted the logical fact of wars lavishly and excitingly. The master pieces and techniques offered by these two authors since thousands of years reflects authentically the tactics used by the most powerful countries of the modern world. Additionally, usage of historical examples gave the manuscript a beautiful line of knowledge specifically once referring each law of combat to a scenario of an ancient chines...

The Art of War was an interesting read, I just couldn't finish the second part of this specific edition which is "The Book of Lord Shang" so am just skipping that.

Now this is what I call a true classic! This book, as well as The Book of Lord Shang, preceded Machiavelli’s captivating masterpiece, Il Principe, by nearly 2000 years (I have to confess that I almost completely forget Il Principe’s contents, but I still remember that it was a captivating read).Back to Sun Tzu…Yes, some of his advices are already outdated and cannot be applied in the modern war. However, the others are, well, I should say mind-opening and inspirational, yet very simple.Want some...

The greatest book of all books about war and how it's done. This book contains information not only about how to fight, also a psychological analysis of the enemy and it's troops. This book can teach you a lot about leadership and command and guiding your team to victory.The book at the begging is the original book of "The Art of War" then it goes to commentary about it. And there is also a a section for other chines writer "The Book of Lord Shang".I will go into details for the first part only:...

This is my first experience in reading these types of books, and I was lucky to have got this book .It just takes you into that atmosphere , the way people in the past used to fight wars, and as a matter of principles & concepts , the ones in the book still apply to these days.

For all of the hype said about the Art of War i must say i was reasonably disappointed. However, if you take the time in which the book was originally wrote into consideration then i guess its a must read.The Art of War itself as other reviewers have wrote i would also give 3 stars, and even the Book of Lord Shang isn't too bad. However, what is bad and in my opinion ruins the book is the commentary and introduction. I usually enjoy reading these parts of books, as i get a modern day experts opi...

The Art of War by Sun Tzu should be mandatory reading for anyone eyeing a future in leadership of any kind. The commentary (second part) where they give real life past and present examples and uses of Sun Tzu's principles is great. The third part however, written by another ancient Chinese warlord, The Book of Lord Shang, is repetitive, bordering on drilling. The wisdom of what is being drilled is invaluable though, mostly spins on Sun Tzu's doctrines with a more ruthless outlook, it was actuall...

This Edition from Wordsworth Classics is a real jackpot. It contains a very good translation by Yuan Shibing of 'Art of War' by Sun Tzu, a commentary on 'Art of War' by General Tao Hanzhang and another lesser known political classic 'The Book of Lord Shang' by Shang Yang translated by J.J.L Duyvendak all in a 242 page low priced paper back format.Both these political classics are worth reading as they give insights into a many aspects of strategy and life even if they deal mainly in the business...

A classic written by a military adviser based during China’s Period of the Warring States (403-221 BC). The strategies are clear, short and insightful and give one or two historic scenarios to help convey the point. This advice would surely have helped win and avoid many a war.Even with satellites and more developed intellegence agencies of the new, this advice could easily help shape the direction of today’s conflicts.

I started to read this book not just because it was considered a classic of ancient literature but I was curious to find out why it was a must read for all business men never mind I am not one myself. The text for the art of war was wonderful and the commentary by General Tao Hanzhang was good as well. It was easy to see how General Tao commentary was influenced by chinese communism and wasnt quite impartial but never the less referring it to ancient and modern battles help framed better what Su...

Interesting to finally read this venerable classic. There is a lot of wisdom in there that still holds true thousands of years after it was composed, but the thought that young buck stockbroker types might be using Sun Tzu’s warfare maxims as a model for their careers is an appalling thought. Like others, I found The Book of Lord Shang, which occupies the latter part of this volume, to be tedious, archaic, and morally repugnant in all but a few of its principles, and abandoned it about halfway t...

This book is comprises of two separate books: The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Book and Lord Shang by Shang Yang. Both individuals had separate insights on governing during turmoil Chinese empires. The Art of War has more so the nature of war (politics, weather, terrain, commander, and doctrine) and The Book of Lord Shang was basic concept and instructions on how to rule. Difficult read but insightful.

It has been a while since I wanted to read this book. I thought it would be interesting to try a new topic, however, I stopped it before finishing it especially when got to the part of "The Book of Lord , but I got disapointed when started the second part. So overall, I would actually give the book a 1.5 stars rather than 1.

An incredible historical document, that at times reads like a contemporary self help book.While the content might be somewhat generic and subject to various interpretations, the style and method of explaining war strategy is somehow timeless.

This is a fantastic edition. I'd read the Art of War once before, I don't know what translation it was but it was inferior to this one by Yuan Shibing. The meaning and open ended nature of Sun Tzu's advice comes across much clearer here. This is further enhanced by the commentary by Tao Hanzhang which provides a bevy of fascinating historical examples of the principles laid out by Sun Tzu. Though, his attempts to make connections between Sun Tzu's beliefs and Maoism wear a bit thin.Finally the B...

To read the art of war and a commentary on it then follow it by the book of lord shang is priceless. Reading them opens your mind to really interesting views of many things. it enables you to have better understnading of life and military tactics and how to use them in life. i was more intrigued by the fact that while the book of lord shang containes many concepts of cruelty and what people may regard as dictatorships but truely it offeres me great insight in the current policies of the nations....

I’m not sure what I really expected of ‘The Art of War’ I’ve wanted to read it for ages because I’d heard so much about it over the years. I guess I expected it to be a great philosophical thesis with profound insights that still bare true in modern society. There was some philosophising but not anything I haven’t already picked up elsewhere (whether that was derived from Sun Tzu I can’t say). So there was no great enlightenment or epiphany that made the book stand out in my mind Not having done...

The Wordsworth classic edition of the Art of War and the Book of Lord Shang, translated by J.J. Duyvendak and Robert Wilkinson is truly an amazing read. The translation for the Art of War was outstanding. The Art of War had added commentary by Tao Hanzhang. The commentary is interesting and includes historical examples of the ideals of the Art of War in action. The commentary also includes obsolete ideas from the Art of war. Unlike most books, the Art of War is short but requires reflection and

It would have gotten a much better review had they left out the other commentary. I can only assume that the publisher figured that it wasn't worth printing a whole lot of very thin books. It's got some valuable advice if you're willing to sit down and ponder how you can use the ideas in your own life. My favourite is this:"Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be defeated." It's a bit overused, but honestly I see why.