I liked the qualities of the general section of this book. For those who are looking for some insight that applies to today's world, you can find some gems here. I read The Art of War translated by Griffith and think that this is much better. The commentary is easier to follow and is presented well. The book gives examples of the principles it talks about from The Three Kingdoms but doesnt always give the names of the people that it talks about. So for readers familiar with the Three Kindoms this can be a little disappointing. Otherwise its a good book to read.

The Chinese have been studying leadership almost two millenia before it became a popular management topic in the West. In the first chapter of "The Art of War", Sun Tzu already recognised leadership as one of 5 factors that determines a nation's strategic success. Zhuge Liang has substantial authority to espouse on the subject - he is the most capable ( and feared ) strategist in China's turbulent era of Three Kingdoms. Cleary has put forth Zhuge's thoughts in a clear and concise manner.

To be able to see that main points of "The Art of War" from applicable perspectives is very important. Zhuge does a good job of explaining the the principles from Sun Tzu's classic work and Liu Ji is very adept at showing situations where the principles were applied.

A must have for anyone who has read "The Art of War".

Mark McNeilly takes the principles of Sun Tzu and lays them out in 6 easy to understand categories. These 6 principles are then described and examples of their use in modern warfare are given.

This book is invaluable to anyone studying strategy in any capacity. It plainly demonstrates the value of Sun Tzu's words and the peril one can face if they are ignored.

There is also a translation by Samual Griffith of the original "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. So in affect you are getting 2 books in one. You can't beat that.

On a more serious note this book is a wake up call to those of you who do not understand Eastern Philosophy and Warfare. With the emergence of China as an ever growing influence in the world, it would serve everyone well to understand their history, culture and principles. This book is invaluable in the capacity.

Those who have already read McNeilly's previous and brilliant book, Sun Tzu and the Art of Business, will welcome this study of modern warfare at a time when the term "war" seems to be undergoing constant re-definition. Events on and subsequent to September 11th have required all of us to view warfare from different perspectives. That process continues even as we await further developments. In this volume, McNeilly reminds us that there are certain fundamental principles of warfare which have remained valid throughout the centuries. Perhaps the first management consultant, Sun Tzu asserts in The Art of War that all battles are won or lost before they are fought. Moreover, he insists that it is better, far better to gain victory without having to engage in combat. Once combat is necessary, he suggests all manner of strategies and tactics by which to overcome an opponent. As you read this review, I suspect that certain warriors throughout the world (perhaps having never read nor heard of Sun Tzu) are utilizing many of these same strategies and tactics. Why? Because they are effective.

After a brief but highly informative Introduction ("The Relevance of Sun Tzu to Modern Warfare"), McNeilly examines the aforementioned "fundamental principles" within six chapters, citing numerous examples drawn from the history of modern warfare, and then provides his own "Conclusions" about "ancient principles for future battlefields." He includes in this volume the superb translation of The Art of War by Samuel B. Griffith. Here are the six chapter titles:

Win All Without Fighting [how to achieve the objective without destroying it]

Avoid Strength, Attack Weakness [strike only where the enemy is most vulnerable]

Deception and Foreknowledge [how to win the information war]

Speed and Preparation [moving swiftly to overcome resistance decisively]

Shaping the Enemy [selecting and preparing the battlefield to your advantage]

Character-based Leadership [leading by example]

Obviously, merely listing the chapter titles and suggesting the thrust of each cannot indicate the scope and depth of McNeilly's achievements in this book. But perhaps it would be helpful to share two brief excerpts from his Preface and then from the final chapter, Conclusions:

"My interest in writing this book stems from a deep interest in military history, my attraction to the ideas and concepts put forth by Sun Tzu, my experience as an infantry officer, and my time as a strategist for a major global corporation. These forces, plus the desire to ensure that students of strategy have greater exposure to and understanding of Sun Tzu's holistic strategic philosophy, compelled me to pen this work."

"Thus, two things are clear. First, neither strategic nor tactical excellence is sufficient by itself; the two must accompany one another for decisive victory. If a nation has the right strategy but executes it poorly, it will not be successful. Similarly, a nation that executes a poor strategy with excellence will also fail in war. To achieve victory a nation must have a creative, powerful strategy and carry it out with will and dispatch, and force."

The second quotation is also relevant to non-military organizations, especially multi-national corporations, which must also have both superior strategies and effective tactics to achieve their desired objectives. Leaders in these organizations who ignore Sun Tzu's principles do so at their peril. McNeilly concludes, "By using these principles wisely a leader can achieve the nation's [or the organization's] goals and ensure its continued survival and prosperity. There is no greater burden one can carry." The extent to which the modern leader discharges such responsibilities will be determined, in my opinion (and presumably McNeilly's), by the extent to which that leader understands and then applies, appropriately, the various principles which Sun Tzu formulated more than 2,500 years ago.

Most people who study military strategy rank Sun Tzu among the leading thinkers of all time. In this interesting book, Sun Tzu's ideas are usually compared to some of the grand strategic concepts of Clausewitz who influenced so many military thinkers in the 20th century, especially the Germans in World Wars I and II. Mr. McNeilly also effectively uses the differences between the Asian game of "Go" and Chess to examplify the different mindsets.

I highly recommend this book to all those who wish to better understand sound principles for defending a nation's freedom. As I read Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare, I couldn't avoid thinking that these same principles could be usefully applied to establishing policies for protecting nations from terrorism. In particular, Sun Tzu pointed out that 'to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill." "[T}o subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill." For example, how could the community of nations jointly create and support a system that left international terrorists no place to hide, no way to get aid, and no recognition for their evil deeds?

In the last few decades, Sun Tzu has become better known as a source of inspiration for business strategists than for military ones. In fact, Mr. McNeilly wrote a superb book last year on just that subject, Sun Tzu and the Art of Business. While reading that book, I was very impressed with the modern military examples, and am glad to see even more such examples in Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare. An important reason for reshaping Sun Tzu has been that his ideas have to be simplified and reframed to apply to business, a major new arena for strategic thinking. Many military strategists, however, are reluctant to "mess" with an obvious classic. By leaving Sun Tzu in the original form for its military content, much of the power of the writing is lost to those who wish to think about government policies today for domestic, foreign, and military matters.

To me, Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare provides a valuable service by making this outstanding work easily accessible to both those with and without military experience who live now in North America or Europe. The book does this in three ways. First, it simplifies the overall message of Sun Tzu into six major principles. Second, the book uses many examples from 19th and 20th century North American and European battles, supplemented with occasional references to the ancient Greek campaigns in Asia, the Punic Wars, and the World War II, Korean, and Vietnamese warfare in the Pacific and Asia. The more recent war to oust Iran from Kuwait is also included as a counterpoint to many military errors in other campaigns. Third, the volume both quotes copiously from Sun Tzu and includes a complete copy of Samuel B. Griffith's translation of The Art of War. As someone without a military history background, I appreciated the simplified exhibits that showed the general flow of battle in many of the examples.

The six principles are also chapter titles:

(1) "Win All without Fighting: Achieving the Objective without Destroying It"

(2) "Avoid Strength, Attack Weakness"

(3) "Deception and Foreknowledge: Winning the Information War"

(4) "Speed and Preparation: Moving Swiftly to Overcome Resistance"

(5) "Shaping the Enemy: Preparing the Battlefield"

(6) "Character-Based Leadership: Leading by Example"

The final chapter applies these principles to possible future battlefields.

Whenever I read Sun Tzu, I come away more and more impressed by how important information advantages are. If you don't know much about the enemy, you will violate many of these principles. If the enemy knows very little about you, you will have an easier time following the principles as well. Clearly, an American weakness has been to under invest at times in creating overwhelming information and communication advantages. If we learn nothing else from our experiences, we should always be sure to increase our advantages whenever we are pulling back from being highly mobilized.

If all this sounds a little dry, it isn't. Mr. McNeilly has a fine, simple writing style that pulls you right along with the material. He not only uses lots of examples, he uses them well. My only quibble in this regard is that he seems a little shaky in his descriptions of the French wars after 1789. Because the French had killed their king, every nation with a king set out to conquer the French. Napoleon tends to get blamed 100% for this in the book. I'm not sure he could have obtained many allies among the crowned heads of Europe. The examples are chosen so that you get continuity of the same military leaders. You get lots about Robert E. Lee in both the Mexican campaign and in Northern Virginia, for example.

I hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as I did, and that it will be popular among our leaders.

Exhaust reasonable, peaceful alternatives before waging war!

I was looking for books on strategy and I already knew the name of Sun Tzu. The Chinese edition I have with assertions is wordy and complicated so I do not quite grasping the ideas. It happened I saw this book in a bookstore. The book title with the Chinese characters (Sun Tzu) on the cover drew my attention. The translation and structure of the book is great and easy to read. The second part of the book has great outputs that apply the concepts to the current time. "In Summary" in each chapter is concise and it touches the concepts well. Overall the book is well structured and easy to comprehend. It provides foundation and space to readers that allow them to explore the subject further.

Michaelson's book Sun Tzu for Success really helps the beginner understand what Sun Tzu's AOW is all about. The first chapter includes an entire translation of STAOW. The chapters following that are analyses and interpretations of the AOW's meaning and how they can be applied to one's personal or professional life. A significant amount of the interpretation is what most Sun Tzu's followers have heard time and time again. In that sense, the book is nothing new. However, very few books give examples of how these concepts apply to the real world, giving this book its own niche. If you are a beginner and only want to buy one Sun Tzu book, this one should be it.

I bought this book last week while on vacation in Miami, and finished it in three days (that says something considering this was supposed to be my vacation).

I have been in business for 16 years and have read business books of all kinds; however, in the end, this one stands alone as the best I have ever known.

Michaelson takes the principles of Sun Tzu and wraps around them the basic drivers of success: planning, persistence, discipline, etc. In the end, I realized that I hadn't heard anything that I'd previously not known - rather, it was simply being iterated in a way that, to me, was much more effective.

Basically, the book simplifies what many have often made too complicated: the process of uncovering the steps (not secrets, because there are none)to success. Why are some people far and away more successful than others? Is it who they know or is it what they do (the argument of the ages)? Actually, it's both - surrounding oneself with the right people (a network, according to Michaelson) is just as important as creating a plan, sticking to it, and moving on it immediately. Procrastinators will surely benefit from the principles outlined in this wonderful book because procrastination is simply not acceptable, according to Sun Tzu.

My copy is now completely highlighted, as I spent the better part of three days making notes and going over the salient points that warrant reference in the future.

This is my new carry-anywhere book. It will be my #1 reference point from now on. It's simply too valuable a tool not to have.

While Socrates, Plato and Aristotle generally get the most and best press in the Western world, there is another philosopher who has a more significant contemporary impact. Sun Tzu was a 5th century BC Chinese military genius who wrote about matters of conflict rather than the mind and nature. Now known as the The Art of War, his statements of strategy and tactics are now required reading in many corporate cultures as a preparation for the competitive global business climate. And have been required reading in military academies for decades. In this book the author takes those musings and adapts them to the creation of software. However, most of the ideas can be applied to business in general and not just to software.
Like most pearls of wisdom, the comments have a self-evident truth. Taking a paraphrased Sun Tzu statement, the author then expands and clarifies the point, adapting it to the culture of software creation. Sadly, but truthfully, most of those points are about failure rather than success. As he points out several times, the point is obvious and it is amazing that so many managers and CEO's fail to grasp it. Ideas such as:

1) Know the strengths and weaknesses of the competition.
2) Gather intelligence to track market and product trends.
3) Grab and retain the best people.
4) Aggressively defend your critical markets.
5) Ignore weak markets.
6) Know your own strengths and weaknesses.

are things that everyone agrees on but many ignore.
If you are a component in any phase of software development, you must read this book. Read it with one eye on the pages and your other, critical eye focused on a mirror reflecting your image. Like it or not, at some point you will read of some error that you have committed. I cannot improve on the phrase from the jacket, "utterly relevant."

Published in Mathematics and Computer Education, reprinted with permission.

Bruce Webster's interpretation of The Art of War is a jewel. The truths he gleaned so well from Sun Tzu will shine long after this or last years fadish corporate "catch phrase" programs have grown dim and have been forgotten.

This is a wonderful book not only for spiritual warriors, but for everyone else too. Conflict resides within the kernel of all human relations and in nature too, and all too often we find ourselves overwhelmed by it and take actions that escalate the level of conflict rather than help to calm the situation. This book helps to remind us that in the face of conflict we do still have a choice, a position we can take that won't make us part of the conflict. It is the opposite side of the coin, or, as some would call it, the "divine view" that restores balance and peace.

A great solace in times of world conflict, a good medicine for all weary spirits dealing with conflict in the great and small moments of our lives.

This is a very special, subtle and real book that gets to the heart of the human problem of aggression and conflict. If the US government, the armed forces, and the bullies of this planet were all to read this book, war would seem as foolish as it is in truth.
Sadly, given it's gentle appearance, only the most discerning will notice it.

This book provides a modern and more digestable reading

This book is a "Cliff notes" of military strategy gurus. Good snyopsis of classic works on military strategy including Clausewitz and Sun Tzu. Definitely a must read for personnel attending any of the Senior Service Schools who do not have the experience in the strategy area. Easy to read and understand.

The best side-by-side comparison of Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, and Jomini strategic thought one can find. Included is Mao's strategic approach to completely round out classical perspective on war and strategy. The single best reference for understanding the similarities and differences between the masters of strategy.

is how I would describe Handel's 'Masters of War'. This however should not deter the keen reader from purchasing the book as it is indeed a wonderful, clear and interesting read.

In the course of his analysis, Handel sets out to compare and contrast the different schools of thought that 'the greats' developed, with particular attention being paid to Sun Tzu and Von Clausewitz. Perhaps this is where the text comes into its own for the academic. If one was to consider writing a study on the conduct and role of the military in this day and age, this book brings not only Sun Tzu and Von Clausewitz, but also Jomini and Machiavelli into focus. The student will hardly require a more comprehensive guide to different schools of thought for the construction of their essays.

In conclusion therefore, I would reaffirm my belief that this text would prove invaluable for any classical military analyst trying to find a text helping and perhaps reducing the amount of time devoted to sifting through Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' and Von Clausewitz's 'On War'. However, taken out of this context, although highly readable, it is perhaps beyond the requirement of the casual reader whom might be better served reading abridged texts of the originals first.

This new translation of The Art of War offers a deeper view of victory--the "taking of the whole." It's the ultimate win-win strategy. How would a group of Buddhists, devoted to the principles of non-aggression and non-ego, approach conflict and warfare? By seeking victory over war itself! If conflict is inevitable in this world, let us seek its resolution with the least possible suffering. This is a unique book for readers who seek to apply profound strategic thought to helping the world, rather than conquering others.

As a student in International Diplomacy I must have read the Art of War in every phase of my education since being an undergraduate. Most books are simply the translation of the book, but no real explanation to go along with the text. Some give some side notes or a long introduction, but the text itself can be difficult and little or no help is given.
This is not the case with this edition, and that is why it is head and shoulders above all others I have looked at. It begins with a lengthy introduction to acquaint readers to the book and give some very necessary background information. Next is the full translation, GREATLY helped by the recently discovered bamboo remains of the book dug up in China, and there is no commentary in this section of the book. Which is excellent for people well acquainted with the work, people who want to read the work without the running commentary, students and scholars. Next are three sections designed to help the read fully understand the text in which they have just read. Not just the ideas about war, but it's applications in many other walks of life. These chapters explain difficult Chinese concepts, the idea of a sage leader, and many, many, other relevant topics.
Lastly, is the commentary. This is where the entire work is reviewed and detailed notes are given to help the reader understand the text LINE BY LINE!! It is not judgmental, while there is a slight bias, it is mostly informative. The bias does not distract from the educational part of the information, but it does need to be pointed out. I will not go into greater detail, the reader can extrapolate from the commentary if they feel there is a slight tinge of bias.
Overall this is the one and only edition of the Art of War you will ever need to own, unless you are going to venture into more scholarly pursuits on the subject and you want to review other peoples ideas surrounding the text. This book will be sufficient for 99.99% of the people in the general public. It is an exceptional effort.

I always enjoy a good philosophy book, and this version of the Ping-fa (Art of War) hit home for me. Although a bit different from the commonly accepted Samuel Griffith 1963 version in the sense the words are translated more literally from the original chinese, it's still not that hard to read.
Not only that, but the essays do well to reinforce some of Sun Tzu's more important ideologies (i.e. Shih).
This version was well done and still honest to the Chinese version, so that's a plus in my eye.
I'd advise the reader, should you want to really grasp the book's key concepts, that you read the essays in Section 2 before the text itself, as it makes more sense in that order.

This book takes the metaphor, "business is war" as far is it can possibly go - and then pushes it a little bit farther. The writer, an amateur military historian, draws many examples of strategy and tactics from battlefield applications - none of them Chinese, interestingly enough, considering the inspiration for the book. He establishes indisputably that Sun Tzu's observations in China, circa 400 BC, would have been equally valid in Imperial Rome or World War II. He falters somewhat when he attempts to apply these principles to business. The author struggles to make the connection and occasionally succeeds, most effectively when discussing price wars and hostile takeovers. If the premise that business is like war is questionable, the idea of using a Chinese military handbook as a business text is unusual enough to be stimulating. We [...] recommend this intriguing book to business strategists and managers.

In recent years, a great deal of nonsense has been published concerning similarities between the military battlefield and the business world. Authors frequently invoke military terms such as "attack", "ambush", "pre-emptive strike", "blitzkrieg" (or "blitz"), "no man's land", "chain of command", "firepower", "guerrilla", "kamikazi", "overkill", and "scorched-earth policy." Amidst all the other books in which forced comparisons are made, Mark McNeilly has written Sun Tzu and the Art of Business. He includes in his book the original (and superb) translation of The Art of War by Samuel B. Griffith.

Time and again, McNeilly stresses (as does Sun Tzu) the absolute importance of personal character. Respect and trust are earned, not conferred by title or decree. It remains for leaders to formulate the correct strategies as well as those tactics needed to implement them. It remains for leaders to allocate resources only where they will achieve the greatest possible success at the lowest acceptable cost. Whether the competition is on a battlefield or in a marketplace, the six principles discussed by McNeilly are appropriate to whatever strategy or strategies may be needed. Historically, the most successful armies and the most successful companies have shared much in common: meticulous preparation, superb timing, speed, maximum use of resources where they will have the greatest impact, sufficient intelligence on opponents, mobility, flexibility, and (above all) resolve.

In Sun Tzu and the Art of Business , McNeilly provides a brilliant analysis of six specific principles (first set to writing almost 2,500 years ago) which, he correctly suggests, will enable all manner of organizations to formulate appropriate strategies for the New Millennium. This is a solid, eloquent, sharply-focused book. Unlike so many other authors who force analogies between war and business, McNeilly respects the basic (indeed obvious) differences between them while explaining how certain principles are relevant to both.

I read Sun Tzu twice a year at least to remind myself of the principles found in this ancient work. This book contains a very good translation of the original book as an addendum. The six principles and true-life business stories allow the reader to more clearly see the business application of Sun Tzu. The author has done a great service to the business world. I recommend it to my associates and never mention to my competitiors.

Gary Gagliardi is considered by many to be a leading expert in understanding and using the competitive methods embodied in Sun Tzu's treatise on the Art of War. A short visit to the Clearbridge web site is all it takes to understand why. Still, I wonder what I might be missing in the translation of the book. In this particular book (the author has written several based on Sun Tzu's work), the left hand pages have each Chinese character with the translated word next to it so that you have a word for word translation. The right hand pages contain a translation of the words into everyday English.

The problem with a translation of this style is one that has plagued translators for centuries and is the reason why there are so many slightly differing translations of Sun Tzu's work. If the author sees one Chinese character and wants to indicate the English word that this character translates to then what word does he pick? After all we have a Thesaurus because there are often many words that mean the same thing or almost the same thing such that choosing one over the other automatically colors the translation. What if there is no exact word in the English language? Well, you have to choose the closest one and that affects the translation. Sometimes words, even if translated exactly, do not give the whole essence of the concept in the original language due to cultural or other differences. Translators can't even seem to agree on something as simple as Sun Tzu's name! Is it Sun Tzu or Sun Tsu? You will find it transliterated both ways. With this in mind I was glad to see that the purchase of the book gets the reader access to the Clearbridge web site where they can see much more exhaustive analysis on the treatise.

Sun Tzu's treatise on The Art of War is really a treatise on competitive advantage that applies not only to actual war but such things as getting a job, marketing, and any other competitive situation that you might come across. A deep understanding of competitive advantage, it is still the definitive text for understanding the concepts of how to come out on top in such situations. An easy book to read and understand on a basic level, it can take a lifetime to truly appreciate in on all levels and apply it to the various areas of your life. This translation still seems to be one of the best that I have seen. It is internally consistent between the translated concepts and so shows a level of knowledge and detail that is not present in some other translations. As a translator the author obviously sees the big picture.

I got this books as a gift. I'd read The Art of War before, but this book is much more interesting. The English translation is easier to understand, and "reading" the actual Chinese characters adds a lot of depth. You can see a lot more meaning in each line.

Having read a number of translations of Sun Tzu, I have to say that this translation by Gary Gagliardi is the one of most practical use.
Every page provides a clear business translation of the Sun Tzu principal . The Art of Management translation will provide any business person with a full range of practical strategies that can be put to use immediately.