The Art of War

War is the great affair of the state, the ground of life and death. Sun Wu, the general who served King Helü of Wu, wrote thirteen short chapters that have been studied by commanders for two and a half thousand years: on laying plans, waging war, attack by stratagem, dispositions, energy, weak points and strong, manoeuvring, the varieties of terrain, the use of fire and the use of spies. Know the enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will not be in danger; the best victory is won without fighting. This complete new English translation renders all thirteen chapters directly from the Chinese in plain modern English, and adds the supplementary dialogues of the King of Wu with Sun Wu.