Need recommendation for edition of "Art of War"

self ^ | April 07,2008 | self

[Excellence]

I would like to buy my son a copy of The Art of War, but I've noticed that there are several editons, each with a different co-author. Would someone please recommened a particular edition/co-author? Thank you in advance.

[Excellence]

.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’d tell ya, but then I’d have to defeat you on the battlefield. Which I could do, BTW ;)

I have the 2002 edition published by Shambhala. It’s a direct translation, no one else’s comments/opinions other than Sun Tzu.

But, check out what the people at http://www.victoryoverwar.com have to say, too.

[Excellence]

Thank you. I’ll take a look at that.
I realized Saturday night that absolutely everything my son is into involves strategy. I may as well run with it.

[Mmogamer]

The Art of War
Sun Tzu
Samuel B. Griffith

is my favorite... it has several opinions plus his own. Pure translation might be nice but it can also be confusing.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I have the 2002 edition published by Shambhala. It’s a direct translation, no one else’s comments/opinions other than Sun Tzu.

I have the same edition and I like it. I have several other editions, too, with commentaries by others but frankly I think what Sun Tzu says doesn’t really require too much commentary, neither does it benefit therefrom.

Some things are just fine left as they are.

[RightWhale]

Buy the one nearest the cash regiater.

[indcons]

I’ll ping this thread to the Military History ping list. Can’t think of a better FReeper military history braintrust than this group of folks.

[PurpleMan]

I’m with #6. It’s just a friggin’ book! (sheesh)

[SunkenCiv]

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[dblshot]

If your son too is interested in strategy check out: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/library/bibs/SMRL2007.pdf

[Nat Turner]

Carter, Jimmy. Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 264pp. (DS119.7 .C16 2006) Former President Carter, bestselling author and Nobel Peace Prize winner, shares his knowledge of the conflict's history and suggests a blueprint for peace.

Chomsky, Noam. Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy. New York: Metropolitan Books/Holt, 2006. 311pp. (E902 .C36 2006) In this sequel to his bestselling Hegemony or Survival, Chomsky criticizes the United States for claiming to reshape other nations while its own democratic institutions are in crisis and "its policies and practices recklessly place the world on the brink of nuclear and environmental disaster".

I find it strange that the Army would recommend loser Jimmy and Noam the commie

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Pure translation might be nice but it can also be confusing.”

Um...isn’t the purpose of this book for the “student” to take away what THEY learn from the “teacher,” not for the teacher to cram his own philosophy down the throat of the student?

It’s all about knowing yourself, and thereby easily defeating the enemy because you don’t second-guess yourself at every turn.

Well, that’s what I took away from it, anyway. And I learn something new about myself every time I read it. :)

[JerseyHighlander]

You can find three free translations including the Lionel on www.archive.org
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator:%22Sun%20Tzu%22

I prefer The Art of War: The Denma Translation (Shambhala Library) personally, compared to a 1950’s translation I read when in college.

Also free, the original 1910 Giles translation, 1st edition scanned:
http://www.archive.org/details/artofwaroldestmi00suntuoft

[Pistolshot]

Sun Tzu - The Art of War

The short version.

Kill your enemies.

Don't die.

[Little Ray]

Actually, the short version is:

Get your enemies to kill each other.
Don’t get caught.
Use the opportunity to defeat the survivor and take over both.

[Mmogamer]

Well perhaps but the time and era dealt with here are quite different than the here and now. The military concepts are applicable but the phrasing or .. well it might be like trying to read an original King James bible translation.. its a lot different than what we have today... if you understand my meaning. Its just a thought is all.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Understood. :)

[dblshot]

“I find it strange that the Army would recommend loser Jimmy and Noam the commie”

Not strange at all. One needs to look at both sides. In terms of system thinking, nothing but positive feedback is dangerous, negative feedback allows adjustments to counter it. Education is not indoctrination. If you son is smart enough to be reading this stuff, he’ll figure out what is true and false himself.

How much fun would FreeRepublic be if all we did was agree with each other?

[Mmogamer]

The one thing I liked about Griffeths was he had notes on the time period brief bios of some of the named generals and the situation dealing with Wu and Chin etc.. was quite interesting like how they used hot spear tips to crack tortoise shells for divination etc.

[BGHater]

I prefer Sawyer, his The Complete Art of War has both Sun Tzu as well as Sun Bin.

I would also recommend The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China by Robert Sawyer as a Companion, it includes:
1) T’ai Kung’s Six Secret Teachings
2) The Methods of Ssu-ma
3) Sun-tzu’s Art of War
4) Wu-tzu
5) Wei Liao-tzu
6) Three Strategies of Huang Shih-kung
7) Questions and Replies between T'ang T’ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung

You kinda double up on some of the previous topics but it does aid in the knowledge for the Chinese way of War.