Ralph Sawyer

   Not simply a one volume, condensed version of Sun-tzu’s Art of War and Sun Pin’s Military Methods, the Complete Art of War is an integrated work produced in a larger format that encompasses every sentence of both famous books. However, through judicious rewording numerous textual difficulties and anomalies have been eliminated for the convenience of readers, producing a more consistent and accessible rendering. The footnotes found in the original versions have been eliminated, but the newly written, brief historical introduction has been supplemented with a much praised tactical index.


   "The Complete Art of War should be in every library. By combining Sun-tzu’s Art of War and Sun Pin’s Military Methods, Ralph Sawyer has given readers a masterful and stimulating work. Clear, complete, and accompanied by excellent commentary, the book can be studied, analyzed, and enjoyed on many levels. For those interested in military science and discipline it is a classic; for those interested in organization and leadership, it is insightful and challenging; for those interested in marketing and even advertising, it is perspicacious and vital. The Complete Art of War focuses on that most human of activities, and echoes the words of Sun-tzu, “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the way to survival and extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.” Choice (Selected by Choice as one of Outstanding Academic Books for 1996)