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History Books

The Art of War by Sun Zi (also written in English as Sun Tzu)
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The Art of War

by Sun Zi (also written in English as Sun Tzu)

Recommendations from our site

“It has survived, partly because of the way it was written—as aphorisms or pearls of wisdom regarding how to view strategy or to fight wars. That made it easily transferrable from one historical era to another.” Read more...

The best books on Military Strategy

Antulio Echevarria II, Military Historian and Veteran

“Sun Tzu, a Chinese general 26 centuries ago, tells us: “If you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.” That is the mission of intelligence. We can build all the billion dollar spy satellites we want – and we do – but to know your enemy is to talk to him in his own language. That is the job of spies, and that is what The Art of War teaches.” Read more...

The best books on The US Intelligence Services

Tim Weiner, Journalist

“Sun Tzu is completely outside the whole Western way of looking at politics and at states. For him, war was an art and an art being practised by generals, by individual commanders…He regards war as a sort of chess, one which could be played by all kinds of players against one another. He powerfully influenced Mao Zedong and developed a way of looking at war, which was then use by Mao Zedong first against the Japanese and then against his rivals.” Read more...

The best books on War

Michael Howard, Military Historian and Veteran

Our most recommended books

  • The Histories
    by Herodotus

  • Life and Fate
    by Vasily Grossman and translated by Robert Chandler

  • The Confessions
    by Augustine (translated by Maria Boulding)

  • Ordinary Men
    by Christopher Browning

  • On War
    by Carl von Clausewitz

  • The Interesting Narrative
    by Olaudah Equiano

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