Description
Book SynopsisOne of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics synthesizes the vast history of strategy's evolution in this consistently engaging and surprising account of how it came to pervade every aspect of life.
Trade ReviewThis is the paperback version of what is one of the most thorough histories of strategic thinking * Military History *
I include this to show that it is possible to find a genuinely new insight on finance by reading beyond the obvious. * Professional Investor *
Stunning reviews in hardback * The Bookseller *
Professor Freedman teaches War Studies at King's College, and was the official historian of the Falklands War. His book is the type of work you dive into, reread, underline, and ponder. And I did just that, making copious notes while being watched by the guy sitting next to me. He leaned over and pointed at the book. "Excellent choice, sir. Couldnt pick a better book." * Ancient Rome Refocused, Rob Cain *
The book is a masterly and definitive account of strategy. * David Lorimer, Network Review *
Rich in detail and deeply contextualising, this book is not only the longest but also the most diverse work in recent years on the evolution of strategy ... This book belongs with the classics in the field of strategic studies ... it provides a huge fund of information about the concept of strategy. It is first and foremost its historical depth that requires Freedman's work to be included in every library of status. * Marcel Berni, Reviews in History *
[Freedman's] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy. * Washington Post *
Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. * The Economist *
This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. * Financial Times *
Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others * of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one.Kirkus Reviews *
Sir Lawrence Freedman's 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy. * New Criterion *
Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. * Mark Stout, War on the Rocks *
Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a 'number of false starts' with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait. * The Daily Beast *
Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedman's dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power. * Publishers Weekly starred review *
A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it. * National Review *
An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline. * strategy + business *
A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions. * Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog *
Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power *
A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University *
This is a wonderful book * a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative.Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History *
This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies. * CHOICE *
[Freedman's] books manage to delight the experts yet are still comprehensible to the general reader, a rare skill in this genre. On this occasion, he has produced what is arguably the best book ever written on strategy. * Washington Post *
Magisterial... wide-ranging erudition and densely packed argument. * The Economist *
This is a book of startling scope, erudition and, more than anything, wisdom. * Financial Times *
Comprehensive, vigorous survey of strategy and its evolution...A lucid text that raises questions while answering others * of great value to planners, whether of an advertising campaign or a military one.Kirkus Reviews *
One the most significant works in the fields of international relations, strategic studies, and history to appear in recent years. * Foreign Affairs *
Sir Lawrence Freedman's 750-page magnum opus, Strategy: A History, is encyclopedic, although not alphabetical, a pleasure to dip into here and there...There are grand strategies set forth in several of the greater works covered by Freedman, but Strategy: A History holds the reader to the strategic level, a subset of grand strategy. * New Criterion *
Strategy: A History is easily the most ambitious book that I have read in many years... With a book of this scope anybody can find something to disagree with but nobody can come away from this book without feeling enriched and intellectually challenged. It will live on as a classic. * Mark Stout, War on the Rocks *
Strategy: A History, is an ambitious and sprawling book by a British military historian who has written widely, and very well, about nuclear and cold war strategy, the Falklands War, and contemporary military affairs, among other subjects... With admirable candor, Freedman tells us that he received the contract for this book in (gulp!) 1994, and that he made a 'number of false starts' with the manuscript. Considering the daunting scope of the subject, this is entirely understandable. Considering the wisdom and analytical brilliance he brings to bear on that subject, it's been well worth the wait. * The Daily Beast *
Tour de force... Unusually thoughtful and clearly written, Freedman's dense tome is a serious academic study in political theory, but it has crossover potential and will attract readers interested in military planning, strategic systems, and the nature of power. * Publishers Weekly starred review *
A vast exploration of strategy... full of surprises, and marked by unsurpassed erudition. It also is witty and reminds us that he in the world who knows most about strategy may be the one who is the most unimpressed with it. * National Review *
An erudite, encyclopedic study that will surely become a standard reference in the discipline. * strategy + business *
A fascinating review of the tools available to all of us to create agile, informed and interesting decisions. * Sheridan Jobbins, the World Economic Forum blog *
Lawrence Freedman shows here why he is justly renowned as one of the world's leading thinkers about strategy, which he defines as the central art of getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest." * Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Harvard University and author of The Future of Power *
A marvelous grand tour of the meaning, implications, and consequences of strategic thinking through the ages and in multiple contexts. Freedman is a master of the subject and unsurpassed in his ability to unravel the twists and turns of strategic complexities and paradoxes. * Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University *
This is a wonderful book * a comprehensive yet deeply considered summation of the very nature of strategy by the premier social scientist of the subject. Strategy: A History is lucid and dispassionate, sometimes rueful, often ironic, always informative.Philip Bobbitt, author of The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History *
This substantial, comprehensive, hermeneutic work examines the various dimensions and history of "strategy," which Freedman defines as "the art of creating power"...this very ambitious exploration provides readers with a useful introduction to the field of strategic studies. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsDEDICATION ; PREFACE ; Part I ORIGINS ; 1 ORIGINS 1: EVOLUTION ; 2 ORIGINS 2: THE BIBLE ; 3 ORIGINS 3: THE GREEKS ; 4 SUN TZU AND MACHIAVELLI ; 5 SATAN'S STRATEGY ; Part II STRATEGIES OF FORCE ; 6 THE NEW SCIENCE OF STRATEGY ; 7 CLAUSEWITZ ; 8 THE FALSE SCIENCE ; 9 ANNIHILATION OR EXHAUSTION ; 10 BRAIN AND BRAWN ; 11 THE INDIRECT APPROACH ; 12 NUCLEAR GAMES ; 13 THE RATIONALITY OF IRRATIONALITY ; 14 GUERRILLA WARFARE ; 15 OBSERVATION AND ORIENTATION ; 16 THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS ; 17 THE MYTH OF THE MASTER STRATEGIST ; PART III STRATEGY FROM BELOW ; 18 MARX AND A STRATEGY FOR THE WORKING CLASS ; 19 HERZEN AND BAKUNIN ; 20 REVISIONISTS AND VANGUARDS ; 21 BUREAUCRATS, DEMOCRATS, and ELITES ; 22 FORMULAS, MYTHS, AND PROPAGANDA ; 23 THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE ; 24 EXISTENTIAL STRATEGY ; 25 BLACK POWER AND WHITE ANGER ; 26 FRAMES, PARADIGMS, DISCOURSES, AND NARRATIVES ; 27 RACE, RELIGION, AND ELECTIONS ; PART IV STRATEGY FROM ABOVE ; 28 THE RISE OF THE MANAGEMENT CLASS ; 29 THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS ; 30 MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ; 31 BUSINESS AS WAR ; 32 THE RISE OF ECONOMICS ; 33 RED QUEENS AND BLUE OCEANS ; 34 THE SOCIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE ; 35 DELIBERATE OR EMERGENT ; PART V theories of strategy ; 36 THE LIMITS OF RATIONAL CHOICE ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; 37 BEYOND RATIONAL CHOICE ; 38 STORIES AND SCRIPTS ; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
