Description
Book SynopsisIf you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win numerous battles without a single loss. – Sun Tzu, The Art of War Written in the 6th century BC, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is still used as a book of military strategy today. Napoleon, Mae Zedong and Douglas MacArthur all claimed to have drawn inspiration from it. And beyond the world of war, modern-era business and management gurus have also applied Sun Tzu’s ideas to politics and corporate strategy.
This illustrated dual-language edition not only presents the original Chinese characters with James Trapp’s translation on the facing page, it also tests Sun Tzu’s ideas against history. Each of the 13 chapters includes a new commentary giving examples of how Sun Tzu’s wisdom has been borne out on the world’s battlefields. When, for example, has information provided by spies changed the course of a battle? How has history shown Sun Tzu’s ideas on the importance of terrain in conflict to be true? And where can we best find examples of strategic warfare being waged? From the ancient world to the 20th century, the battles featured will be illustrated with colour battle maps, paintings and artworks.
Of immense influence to leaders across millennia, The Art of War Illustrated is a classic text richly deserving this illustrated and expanded dual-language edition.
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Planning
Case study: Sicily, 1943, by Kevin Dougherty
Waging War
Case study: Zama, 202 BCE, by Ralph Ashby
Strategic Offence
Case study: Granicus, 334 BCE, by Miles Doleac
Deployment
Case study: Gulf War, 1991, by Stephen Hart
Momentum
Case study: Vistula–Oder Offensive, 1945, by Stephen Hart
The Substantial and the Insubstantial
Case study: Somalia, 1993, by Kevin Dougherty
Manoeuvres against the Enemy
Case study: Mohi, 1241, by Stephen Turnbull
The Nine Variables
Case study: Mobei, 119 BCE, by Ralph Ashby
On the March
Case study: Jena–Auerstädt, 1806, by Frederick C. Schneid
Terrain
Case study: Gettysburg, 1863, by Kevin Dougherty
The Nine Types of Ground
Case study: Stalingrad, 1942–43, by Stephen Hart
Attacking with Fire
Case study: Ia Drang, 1965, by Kevin Dougherty
Using Spies
Case study: Shimabara, 1638, by Stephen Turnbull
Contributors
Index
