The Art Of War

This is a great translation of a classic work. There are informative footnotes and inline clarifications that make the shades of meaning in the work more visible. I have read this book many times and each time I draw something new from it. It is an often misunderstood work because some of the themes it explores and such should not be the case because it is really a study of human interaction and the views of both the prince and the pauper are presented with exceptional clarity.

Reading a 19th Century English translation of late 15thCentury Italian, makes this a challenging read, but it is worthwhile. Machiavelli is misunderstood by almost everyone who has not read the source works. This book examines both why States go to war and why they should not. Machiavelli is both incisive and both insightful. This book, like the Prince, looks darkness in the eye and does not blink. Unlike the Prince, it is much easier here to see where Machiavelli's own sympathies lie.Machiavelli should be required reading for all students of business and politics

First off, The title of my review might be misleading, When i say outdated tactics, i don't mean because this book was written in the early 1500s, and they don't apply today. More simply, i mean that they didn't even apply in the 1500s.I'll start by saying that Machiavelli thought that superior tactics of war from any period in time were still valuable and practical in his time. He took tactics, strategies and disciplines used by a plethora of empires far before his time. His mentality of "It worked for the Romans in 315 CE, it will work now!" Could lead to a downfall in any sense. Plain and simple, innovation is the key to war. Innovation in concept, principle, weaponry, and idealism. While original in some aspects, his strategies and "art" remain a collection and culmination of outdated military strategies throughout different stages of European history.However, the detail of this book is uncanny. The layout of the book is genius as participants in a conversation continue to ask questions for clarification and to challenge the strategies presented by Machiavelli. The translation is perfect, and the footnotes / references are extremely helpful. Neal Wood's introduction provides just enough of a history lesson to make even the more esoteric parts of this book a little more comprehensible.5/5 stars for the translation, references, and introduction.3/5 stars on the tactics theorized and implemented by Machiavelli (though proven in the test of war, the "it worked then, it'll work now" mentality proves risky to this day.)Overall: 4/5 stars

This is one of the all time must read text books. This book contains information that most politicians use to gain power over people. The Art of War is one of those books I suggest teens to read to gain an understanding of what is to come in life.

Period, dot. The father of the modern nation state. I'm thankful for him.

What's not to like. It is one of the three best strategy books ever written. Machiavelli, Sun Tzu and Musashi

-- but I found Macchiavelli's content frankly disappointing. The translation is modern and readable, I have no problem with that. The original was centuries behind Sun Tzu's book of the same name, even though Sun Tzu wrote around 500BC, 2000 years before Macchiavelli. Macchiavelli gives a bit of advice about soldierly temperament and training. There's also a brief checklist, just two pages, of strategic advice, near the end of the book. That's all that really has lasting value.The bulk of the text is taken up with the right way to position each kind of soldier and arm, rank and file, in marching order. Basically, these were detailed directions for a military parade, suited to the set-piece wars of the time, as much pageant as combat. He also goes on about the right kinds of pennants, flags, and colors to use, proper military music, how to make camp, and proper pillaging and distribution of booty.Directions on how to make camp are subject to errors, though: a measurement 1360 feet long, minus 100 feet at each end, is said to leave a row 1260 feet long rather than 1160 - perhaps an error introduced by the translator, but I tend to think not. He also takes the "reduction" and sacking of conquered towns for granted. I think Master Sun was a bit more merciful (or prgamatic), on the grounds that the wealth of newly annexed parts of the kingdom should be preserved, and the citizens kept happy enough for easy rule. With a startling lack of foresight, Macchiavelli dismisses serious use of artillery in pitched battles. Instead, he falls back on strategies of the Greeks and Romans, 1000 to 2000 years old even when he wrote. Sun Tzu's warfare had a much more modern look to it, including hit-and-run tactics that the West barely understood until the American revolution.The quality of the translation worth four or five stars, partly because of helpful notes and diagrams. It's the original work that I found weak.//wiredweird

Very Good condition. Arrived on time.