The Art of War by Chinese general Sun Tzu is considered by many to be the single best book ever written on the subject of war. Studied by Asians for centuries, the work came to the general attention of the west only when translated into French in 1792 and then into English in 1905. It has since become a required handbook for those engaged in combat as well as other adversarial encounters; businessmen, lawyers, politicians, and even athletes have availed themselves of Sun Tzu’s genius. Sun Tzu believed war to be a necessary evil that should be avoided, and, when unavoidable, prosecuted to a quick end. He saw victory and defeat as fundamentally psychological states, and thus puts psychology and intelligence tactics above the use of force and material and physical dominance. His ideal general is as much a Taoist master as a battle-tested warrior. His writings on the knowledge of one’s enemy, the true nature of strategy and tactics, and the primacy of pre-battle positioning, enlightened the western mind and became bedside reading for figures like Generals MacArthur and Schwartkopf. In thirteen short chapters The Art of War delivers all the strategic insight and wisdom needed for a lifetime of engagement in public affairs.

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