The Art of War
Attributed to the Chinese general Sun Tzu and composed during the Eastern Zhou period, most likely in the Warring States era around the fifth century BCE, The Art of War is a short treatise of thirteen chapters on the discipline of armed conflict. Each chapter takes a specific question of command, planning, the use of spies, the management of supply, the relationship between terrain and morale, the costs of prolonged war, the responsibility of the general to the sovereign, and works through it in a series of aphoristic statements intended to be memorized and applied. Read first as military doctrine, the text has been used continuously for more than two millennia as a reference by statesmen, generals, negotiators, executives, and coaches, and it remains the foundational East Asian work on strategy.
Where The Art of War keeps showing up
One of our editors' lists features this novel.
Books in conversation with The Art of War
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about The Art of War
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Attributed to the Chinese general Sun Tzu in the fifth century BC, this thirteen-chapter manual lays out classical principles of strategy, deception, terrain, and leadership that have shaped military and business thought.
Yes. The Art of War is attributed to Sun Tzu and dates to roughly the 5th century BC. It is in the public domain in all jurisdictions. Modern translations remain copyrighted.
Samuel Griffith's 1963 translation is widely cited in military contexts. Thomas Cleary's 1988 translation is popular for general readers. The Lionel Giles 1910 translation is freely available through Project Gutenberg.
The Art of War was written by 孙武, published in 500 by WN.
The Art of War is 90 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Art of War takes most readers 1 to 2 hours to finish.
The Art of War is a standalone novel by 孙武, not part of a series.
The Art of War is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
