The Art of War and Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy

by Sun Tzu, Lao-Tzu, Confucius

The words of ancient Chinese philosophers have influenced other thinkers across the world for more than 2,000 years and continue to shape our ideas today. The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy includes translations of Sun Tzu's Art of War, Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching, the teachings of the master sage Confucius, and the writings of Mencius. From insights on warfare and diplomacy to advice on how to deal with one's neighbors and colleagues, this collection of classical Eastern philosophy will provide readers with countless nuggets of wisdom.

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Nonfiction, History, Religion, China, Anthologies

592 pages, Leather Bound

First published August 12, 2013

About the author

Sun Tzu (traditional Chinese: 孫子; simplified Chinese: 孙子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thought. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu (traditional Chinese: 孫武; simplified Chinese: 孙武) and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing (Chinese: 長卿). The name Sun Tzu—by which he is more popularly known—is an honorific which means "Master Sun".
Sun Tzu mastered the military science of ancient China and created the military doctrine of asymmetrical warfare. According to it, an attack on the enemy should begin only after the enemy has no opportunity to either defend or counterattack. It was used in the wars in the era of the Warring States in ancient China (about 475–221 BC). It differs from the modern interpretation of asymmetric military strategy. The ancient warriors used to call it the Victorious Methods of Warfare (sheng er zhan zhi), but it has the same meaning as the modern asymmetrical military strategy. The ancient professional warriors used it in individual combats against the enemies in the wars. As a result, a variety of armed and unarmed combat combinations have been created for various combat situations as the individual battle plans. Those combat combinations had specific names, descriptions and classifications.
Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian Sima Qian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King Helü of Wu and dated his lifetime to 544–496 BC. Modern scholars accepting his historicity place the extant text of The Art of War in the later Warring States period of 475 to 221 BC, based on its style of composition and its descriptions of warfare. Traditional accounts state that the general's descendant Sun Bin wrote a treatise on military tactics, also titled The Art of War. Since both Sun Wu and Sun Bin were referred to as "Sun Tzu" in classical Chinese texts, some historians believed them identical, prior to the rediscovery of Sun Bin's treatise in 1972.
Sun Tzu's work has been praised and employed throughout the arc of East Asian military history since its composition, and eventually earned global attention. During the twentieth century, The Art of War grew in popularity and saw practical use in the Western world as well. It remains influential in many contemporary competitive endeavors across the modern world beyond military strategy and warfare, including espionage, culture, governance, business, and sports.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't my first delving into Taoism or Eastern Ideologies. As an ideology Taoism is one on previous occasions I have found great joy in reading and learning from its wisdom. Picking up another copy of the Art of War with four other great Eastern writings for me was a no brainer. Unfortunately while the Art of War is translated by Lionel Giles is a good translation, everything else in the book is translated by James Legge.

Don't be upset if that means absolutely nothing to you, it meant nothing to me when I picked up this compilation at Barnes N Noble. What James Legge's translations are is severely lacking in everything, but word count. Instead of faithful translations of the original text (with a bit of optimization to maintain readability) the text are interpreted. Each passage becomes wordy, losing its original charm and insight.

It is painfully obvious that Legge had little respect for the material he was translating. In his forward he dismisses nearly everything the Chinese believed calling it fantasies, fiction, while asserting the legitimacy of his Christian beliefs. After a certain level of posturing I could no longer stand to read his forward and skipped onto the main course of the translation only to find what can only be called a bastardization of the original.

Unfortunately as I discovered, this isn't the only translations by James Legge included in this compilation. Every other text is translated by him, each as it turned out after a bit of research, are equally as poor as this Tao Te Ching translation.

Don't get this compilations, do some research and grab the competent translated versions of the works you are interested in. While the binding and paper are sturdy the contents are lacking, unless you need a these particular translations for school or discussion stay clear.

[Zy Marquiez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art Of War & Other Classics Of Easter Philosophy showcases some of the most timeless and meaningful eastern philosophical classics to exist. The best part is that the book is as beautiful outside as the knowledge is endless in the inside.

With ivory white paper, and a solid binding and spine to boot, the Cantebury Classics offer a LOT of value in a leatherbound book. In fact, out of all the Cantebery Classics its hands down my favorite one - aesthetically pleasing and content-wise.

To get a broader perspective of what the book contains, the Table Of Content Follows:

The Art Of War [Without Commentary]
The Art Of War [With Commentary]
The Tao Te Ching
Confucius Analects
The Great Learning
The Doctrine Of The Mean
The Works Of Mencius

Having recently read the Tao Te Ching and Confucius' Analects, it was a pleasant surprise to see them here again.

The gems of wisdom contained in those books is much to ruminate upon, so having those books, along with The Art Of Wars and others was just like having Christmas seven days in a row.

If you are interested in any of the above books and also plan to venture into the other books covered in the table of contents sometime, do yourself a favor and get this book. You will NOT regret it. It will also save you money when you add the prices of all six works. Even if purchased all used they will cost more than this one.

Having been given multiple copies of Art of War it still didn't detract me from getting this one. Wouldn't hesitate getting one again, and in fact am considering purchasing one for posterity's sake since this one's getting highlighted and written upon with notes to the hilt.

The smorgasbord of insights within the pages in this book is as lucid as it is prodigious.

[Hannah D · Rating 4 out of 5]

it might have been my low expectations but i really enjoyed analects and the strategies that were discussed

[Maxime S. Sonnet · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating has little to do with the contents of the ancient texts, though they should be reviewed critically as for only applying themselves to men and view women as little more than housekeepers.
But my main problem with this edition is that though it appears to be meant as appreciation of the ancient Chinese philosophers it seems rather shallow in some ways:
1. Why "Eastern" Philosophy and not "Chinese" Philosophy? The authors of these texts wrote and spoke in Chinese and the works being used in the government and education of other east asian countries changes nothing about their origin.
2. Why use the translations of James Legge who died more than 100 years ago and not a recent, less biased one that would have done the works justice. Probably because it was cheaper this way.

All in all, I liked much about the philosophy in this book, not so the editorial choices made.

[Joshua Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extension collection of classics of Eastern Philosophy, including The Art of War, the Tao Te Ching, the Confucian Analects and others. It's been quite some time since I read philosophy, so as a reader, I got a bit fatigued as I continued this volume, despite only reading it in 30-60 pages chunks. So the lower rating is more a reflection on my own shortcomings as a student of philosophy.

That said, I did see a lot of fine applications of The Art of War to other facets of life, and found this intriguing. As a volume, I wish there had been more commentary, like that presented with The Art of War. Perhaps that would have helped my own personal enjoyment of this volume, and likely lowered my fatigue as a reader as I got further into the text.

[Adam Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanted to learn more about Eastern philosophy given that 1) I work with so many East Asian colleagues and 2) so many people I know have found great meaning in these texts. I learned a lot! While I am not sure this “spoke to me” in the way it spoke to some others, I particularly enjoyed the Confucian texts and definitely picked up some little stories and passages that I think are valuable to carry with me.

[erburns · Rating 4 out of 5]

in my dark monarch era

[Camilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enduring book of numerous digestible wisdoms applicable to many aspects of life.

[Harry Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

goog book hard to grasph the metaphors talks about

-fial piety
-you reap what you saw

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic Info:
Author: Sun Tzu Country: China Language: Chinese Subject: Military strategy and tactics Publication Date: 5th century BC (500 BCE to 450 BCE)
General Memory:
This book is an indispensable guide to living a good and righteous life. As a female student of yoga and meditation I found advice to enhance my practice. It is full of ancient and timeless wisdom with counsel for everyone.
The Art of War: I. Laying Plans/The Calculations II. Waging War/The Challenge III. Attack by Stratagem/The Plan of Attack IV. Tactical Dispositions/Positioning V. Use of Energy/Directing
VI Weak Points and Strong / Illusion and Reality VII Maneuvering an Army / Engaging The Force
VIII Variation of Tactics / The Nine Variations IX The Army on the March / Moving The Force
X Classification of Terrain / Situational Positioning XI The Nine Situations XII Attack By Fire / The Fiery Attack
XIII Use of Spies / The Use of Intelligence

Ideas:
"So it is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be put at risk even in a hundred battles.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself."

KNOWLEDGE IS EVERYTHING

"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."

DECEPTION IS EVERYTHING

5 factors: The Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, Method and Discipline
These are:(1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline

The Commander is everything as he stands out for the five cardinal virtues of the Chinese:
1. Benevolence
2. Integrity
3. Self-Respect
4. Wisdom
5. Sincerity and Honesty

[Norman Van Der Schyff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third version of the Art of War. This one is special, as it is very well presented, printed and bound in leather. The philosophies that accompany the Art of War, which include the Tao Te Ching, Confucian Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and the Works of Mencius, all support to make the Art more understandable. It also gives an insight into the historical Chinese mindset. This specific issue makes for an excellent present for someone interested in management.

[carlita_is_probably_reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strategic indeed. I wonder if our current forces utilizes the strategies mapped out in this guide. I know I would.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have revisited this book over and over and I love different piece of it each time. It's timeless, wise, and a defining guide on "what to do now?"

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read The Art of War before, but this edition has a commentary which was very interesting to read as well.

[Volbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that undoubtedly is on the bedside table of many an MBA bro and sergeant first class. Forever serving as an unopened doorstopper that can teach you about the logistics of warfare, the way of the superior ruler and the about the order of people in the cosmos.

At around the same time as the Greek would pen the ideas that would set the Western World on its philosophical track, the Chinese had a breed of people doing the same for Asia.
And what the Westerners among us might find interesting is that the thoughts of people like Confucius, Lao Tzu and Sun Tzu is not unlike what people on the other side of world would arrive at. It seems that people living through the birth of civilizations in the higher strata of society were all concerned about statecraft and the place everything took up in the world.

The Art of War is interesting as it’s one of the earliest treaties on war that solely centers warfare within the sphere of the state. Like collecting taxes or ensuring rituals are carried out, warfare should also be a bureaucratic exercise, where logistics and politics should be considered alongside the size and power of your army. Warfare to Sun Tzu is an ultimately rational exercise and not a return to barbarism. War is as much a part of civilization as collecting grain for the king is.

Tao Te Ching is about setting everything in its place, identifying the tao and the balance it creates in the natural world. And as people are a part of the natural world, we to have to act in accordance with nature.

The rest of the compilation is taken up by various renditions of the teachings of Confucius, either from the man himself or from Mencius, a later student of Confucius. These texts go all over the place, as one would expect from different texts. It’s about statecraft, religious rituals and pedagogics.

[Brian German-Dunlop · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy was a thorough series of both rules and philosophies from many impactful historical figures, such as Sun Tzu, Confucius, Mencius, and Lao Tzu. This book was truly a challenge to read from beginning to end, considering it's long page count, but I enjoyed reading it. My initial goal when reading this book was to gain a better understanding of Eastern philosophy, so that I may gain a profound perspective on philosophy in general. To name a few, immediately I liked the great attention to detail of the cover book, with the leather material and silk ribbon bookmark. Additionally, I enjoyed the prelude because of its successful attempt to provide context, and convey the lives and teachings of these historical figures. Both the prelude, and following sections, " The Art of War, Without Commentary" and " The Art of War, with Commentary" were insightful in seeing how philosophy of War can be displayed differently. With the first section, it laid the groundwork of the thought process and lifework of Sun Tzu, in his strategy in creating a strong army and tactics that ensure victory. A quote, from the first section, that stuck out to me was, writing #27," All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved" (Tzu 15). The meaning behind this writing is impactful because in a time of constant war within China's warring states, Sun Tzu, formerly known as Sun Wu, was known as a genius general of the state Wu. This writing serves as a memento to show the difference between standard generals, and genius generals such as Tzu himself, who essentially says that most people take notice of the quick actions that get victory, but not the long process of observing and gathering information of an enemy. In the second section, it was a storytelling of the tales of Sun Tzu, as well as other accounts of Tzu. Overall, both during and after reading the book, I gained insightful understanding of eastern philosophy as a whole and I'm glad to have read it. I liked it's contents, but don't give the book a 5 star because of it's long page count, which makes it hard to still have the determination to continue reading.

[Juliet Paola · Rating 4 out of 5]

"El Arte de la Guerra" de Sun Tzu no es solo un manual militar, es una obra maestra de la estrategia y la sabiduría aplicable a cualquier desafío de la vida. Mi lectura de este clásico milenario me dejó una profunda reflexión: las batallas más importantes son las que libramos con nosotros mismos y en nuestras interacciones diarias.
Puntos Clave para la vida moderna:
* Conócete a ti mismo y a tu "enemigo": La lección más poderosa. Antes de enfrentar cualquier conflicto o desafío (ya sea en el trabajo, una negociación o un proyecto personal), es vital entender tus propias fortalezas y debilidades, así como las de la situación o la persona que tienes enfrente. La información es poder.
* Vencer sin luchar: El mayor triunfo no es derrotar al otro, sino lograr tus objetivos sin necesidad de un enfrentamiento directo. Esto se traduce en diplomacia, negociación y encontrar soluciones que beneficien a todas las partes. La sabiduría está en la prevención del conflicto.
* La planificación es la clave: El éxito rara vez es fruto de la improvisación. Sun Tzu insiste en la importancia de una estrategia bien pensada, anticipando escenarios y preparando el camino para la victoria. Un plan claro te da una ventaja invaluable.
* La adaptabilidad es poder: Un buen estratega es como el agua: se adapta a la forma del recipiente. Los planes pueden cambiar, y la capacidad de ser flexible y responder a las circunstancias del momento es lo que te hará invencible.
* La disciplina y la moral: Un ejército unido es invencible. En tu vida personal, esto significa que la disciplina, la constancia y la mentalidad positiva son fundamentales para alcanzar tus metas. La fuerza interior es tu mejor recurso.
Este libro me recordó que la estrategia no es un acto de agresión, sino una manifestación de inteligencia y autocontrol. Se trata de pensar a largo plazo, de ser paciente y de elegir sabiamente tus batallas.
Si tuviera que resumir mi reseña en una frase: Un libro esencial que nos enseña que el verdadero poder reside en la mente y que la victoria más grande es aquella que se logra con sabiduría, no con fuerza bruta.

[William Schram · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of War and Other Classics of Eastern Thought is published by Barnes and Noble. The publisher took old translations of these books and packaged them in this hardcover format. The Art of War is taken from the 1910 translation by Lionel Giles. The rest of the book is from translations by James Legge. This includes The Tao Te Ching, the Analects of Confucius, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Great Learning, and the Works of Mencius. All of these translations predate the 20th century.

This edition is very scholarly. It includes a great deal of information on the text that explores the veracity of the timelines and so on. The Chinese claim these works to be old. The translator/ commentator has his doubts due to how many people have copied it and added or subtracted things to it.

The Art of War section is presented twice; first as an unaltered format, next as a commentated edition. Each line is expanded upon and scrutinized. I don’t know who provides the commentary, but it might have been the translator. Thankfully, he is now long dead and cannot become insulted by what I say. The book does contain some glaring typos, but not too many. Sometimes they press ‘r’ instead of ‘e’ for instance. However, I doubt that this is only the mistake of the translator; I would say that it was overlooked in editing.

The portions translated by James Legge are also well done. There are things to nitpick, but these are relatively minor considering the time these works were translated. The main complaint I can make is the racist remarks. Don’t get me wrong there is a scholarly bent to the book, so they certainly tried to keep it down, but the Western Superiority does come through in calling the people ‘chinamen’ and so on. Granted, they don’t do this all that often, but usually once is enough to stain a piece of writing.

I enjoyed this book. I would certainly recommend it, but I don't know if a new translation would be necessary. Chinese is a tricky and nuanced language. A more recent translation would probably fix the issues I had with Legge's sections.

[Fermin Quant · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of books.
The Art of War commentary was much more researched and objective than I expected. It was also less in volume than I expected, without falling short of explaining. The initial part of the book explains how the commentary was created, and it is somewhat like the author studied multiple influential commentaries from all of history, and then proceeded to rank them, and them commented on his own based on the commentaries that he refers to. It is very well done.
I must admit I expected something less methodical when I bought the book, and probably someone just speaking their mind about what they thought about the ideas and how they can be applied in today's world, but I was pleased to find that the author made a lot of effort in making the commentary as objective as possible.
The other books in the collection were very worth reading and full of wisdom, it was my first time reading many and finding out they even existed and that they were so important. They are just books that already existed so I will not review them, since the only real added value of this collection is that they are all together, and the commentary part of The Art of War.

[MARIAE MANALO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why It Still Resonates
- Universal Strategy: Sun Tzu’s principles—like “Know yourself and know your enemy”—apply not only to war but also to business, politics, sports, and personal growth.
- Victory Without Conflict: The highest form of warfare, according to Sun Tzu, is winning without fighting. This emphasis on diplomacy, foresight, and psychological insight makes the book a guide for peaceful resolution as much as tactical success.
- Compact Wisdom: At under 100 pages, the book is terse and epigrammatic, yet dense with meaning. Its aphorisms are designed to provoke reflection and strategic clarity.

The Art of War is not just a manual for generals—it’s a philosophical guide for anyone navigating conflict, competition, or leadership. Its enduring relevance lies in its ability to distill complex strategy into simple truths. Whether you're a CEO, a creative, or a student of life, Sun Tzu’s wisdom offers a lens through which to view challenges with clarity and purpose.

A timeless classic that rewards repeated reading and thoughtful application.

[Hans Winfried · Rating 2 out of 5]

It doesn't live up to its reputation. As a fan of history, wartime strategy and philosophy, I figured this should be an obvious read, but was in for a disappointment. "The Art of War" is actually a very short 35-page collection of proverbs by Sun Tzu, loosely organised by category. In a way that explains why everyone likes to quote it, given it is nothing but quotes.

I was hoping to read more about specific battles and manoeuvres or the overall historical context, but unfortunately there is not much aside from brief passages and anecdotes. Of course given these events transpired a long time ago and there were various record burnings, I can't expect detailed accounts, but my first thoughts were still "that was it?" after closing the book. There are also some other texts about Taoism and annotated variants of the The Art of War, but they did not seem interesting enough to warrant padding this book to 500 pages.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Art of War portion of the book, specifically the annotated section, was a good refresher from my days at Naval Post Graduate School. I learned more from the annotations than I did in the class! Unfortunately, the portion dealing with Confucius was poorly translated (in my uneducated in Chinese culture opinion). It seemed very pedestrian and poorly worded. The section dealing with Mencius was much better and made much more sense, but still could have used some cleaning up as it appeared to be a very literal translation. It would have been a tremendous help to have an introductory chapter on Chinese historical figures (there's kind of one there in the Art of War section, but it doesn't really appear to address the linear history that would be needed for a better understanding of Mencius).

[Caiper Popen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for those who want to explore Chinese philosophy, featuring six classic works. It includes 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu, presented in commentary and without commentary. 'Tao Te Ching' by Lao Tzu is also included, with James Legge’s translation, which I find superior to older versions.

The collection also includes 'The Confucian Analects', which felt dry to me even with a modern translation—perhaps it just wasn’t my taste—but I pushed through to finish it. In contrast, I really liked 'The Great Learning', one of Confucius' writings, and found 'The Doctrine of the Mean' equally compelling. Lastly, I attempted 'The Works of Mencius' but found it too tedious and eventually gave up.

I was glad to try Lionel Giles' translation of 'The Art of War' alongside Thomas Cleary’s version. Both had unique qualities, and keeping both of them helped me gain clearer insight.

[James Cay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had dabbled in The Art of War many years ago but this was the first time I had read this breadth of Chinese philosophy. I found it interesting of course, particularly as I read it in parallel with a single-volume history of China - each book giving me a better understanding of the other. I probably took too long to get through this volume and its cohesion suffered for that, largely due to being structured as stanza covering a wide range of sometimes disparate topics - particularly Mencius! I would benefit from following up with some wider reading on these key philosophies, with some pointers on the key tenets. Has whetted my appetite for further reading.

[Dominik Tkalčec · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag; while The Art of War (and its commentaries) and The Teo Te Ching are fascinating, enlightening at times and well, interesting; the other texts are not. Confucian Analects and The Works of Mencius read very dryly, often with no point and reason in the saying, bogged down by countless names that do not make sense in the context. Even if they had commentaries which would be helpful, I think the translation does not do it justice as reading it feels very formal, strict and dull. This 560 page book took me MONTHS to finish just because of the latter two parts of the book; I had to force myself through the end.

[Alexin Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the thoughts and philosophy of Sun Tzu during the early parts of The Art of War and his perception of how he compare things in terms of war but I find myself not really enjoying the description, thoughts, and comparisons of commentator because grammatical errors and constant side tracking of the history of Sun Tzu. The later parts of Sun Tzu as general and strategist also seem like it wasn't even fully explain well because the commentator thinks that we are supposed to know every other event ahead of time.

[Gray Kemplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating this book a 4/5 because although I see the works within as very insightful (some I deeply resonate with, others I find meaning from both where I can agree and challenge the arguments made), it’s based mainly on an older Wade-Gales translation which makes both for inaccurate pronunciation and some more obscurant translations of simpler passages. It is greatly convenient to have this collection, but worth remembering this and balancing it with occasional reference to more current translations (which are easily accessible online).

[Auggie Heschmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great edition of this book. This was my third time reading it and I was still able to get new things out of it. Additionally, as this edition contains a collection of works that give context to the eponymous text (The Tao Te Ching, Confusician Analects, etc.), you're able to learn a thing or two about the worldview that led to Sun Tzu's masterpiece.

[BookHobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread from when I was in high school. I have to say I appreciate it a lot more as an adult. It is a classic that gives a fresh perspective with each telling. I enjoyed reading parts of it with my sons and only hope that when they are older they will reread it and it will give them fresh wisdom then.

[Peter Crouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to eastern thought. The Art of War is especially brilliant, just as the Tao Te Ching is enigmatic. All the Confucianism in the last half, while being refreshingly "this-worldly" and realistic, gets quite tiring in bulk.