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Buy The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition

Book Description:  This Special Edition of The Art of War by Sun Tzu presents this timeless classic in two forms: Section I contains the complete thirteen chapters of Sun Tzu’s masterpiece in Chinese together with the English translation of Lionel Giles without notes or commentary. This presentation avoids the objection that commentary tends to clutter and obscure the clarity of thought of the ancient military genius. Section II contains the complete translation by Lionel Giles including his extensive introduction and the fully annotated text with explanatory notes and critical commentary. His Introduction includes an historical account of Sun Tzu’s work, evaluations by and of early Chinese commentators, an essay examining the traditional Chinese attitudes toward war and a bibliography that details Giles’ source materials. The text in this section includes critical commentary and notes by both the Chinese historians as well as by Giles himself. Having two copies of the translation in one volume makes this edition a real treasure. The explanations and details, like the story of training the concubines and several other tales, are not available in the plain translations and they add immeasurably to the richness of the book. By the same token, having a plain, unadorned version in hand so you can just follow Sun Tzu’s logical progression is a great plus. Having it all together in one volume is what makes this particular edition remarkable. Lionel Giles, as the Keeper of the Department of Oriental printed Books and Manuscripts of the British Museum, was uniquely qualified to translate and explain this great classic Chinese work to Western readers. First published in 1910, Giles’ translation is widely considered to be the definitive English version. If you are looking for the best version of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”, then look no further. This is it.

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