The Art of War (AmazonClassics Edition) - Softcover

Though historical details of his life have been debated, Sun Tzu (544 BC–496 BC) is believed to have been a general, philosopher, and military strategist who lived during ancient China’s Spring and Autumn period. Legend describes him as a fierce and uncompromising military leader; one tale famously recounts his ability to turn even the king’s concubines into unequivocally loyal soldiers.

Revered in Asian culture for centuries, Sun Tzu and his philosophy of war—from dealing with personal conflicts to achieving unqualified success in battle—eventually found favor in Western culture as well. Today, The Art of War remains an unrivaled text for strategic lessons of survival...in and out of battle.

Son of British diplomat and notable sinologist Herbert Giles, Lionel Giles (1875–1958) was a translator, scholar, and assistant curator of the British Museum. Perhaps most well known for his 1910 translation of The Art of War, Giles translated numerous Chinese classics, including the Tao Te Ching and the Analects of Confucius. He received his BA in classics from Wadham College, University of Oxford, in 1899.