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Sign up todayThe Art of War
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Learn moreMaster Sun said: “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.”
For more than two thousand years, The Art of War has stood as a cornerstone of Chinese culture, a lucid text that reveals as much about psychology, politics, and economics as it does about battlefield strategy. For those seeking a deeper understanding of this seminal work, scholar John Minford brings the words of Sun-tzu to life for modern listeners, presenting the core text in two formats:
Part I: The original text by Sun-tzuRay Porter reads the unadorned thirteen chapters, allowing listeners to form their own first impressions of the ancient words of wisdom ascribed to Sun-tzu.
Part II: The original text with running commentaryRead by Ray Porter and Lorna Raver, the original text is presented again, this time with extensive running commentary by traditional Chinese scholars and the translator, providing context and subtext for the work. Included is a lively, learned introduction, read by Lorna Raver, in which Minford explores the life and times of Sun-tzu and considers how best to read and understand the work today.
Even those readers familiar with The Art of War will experience it anew, finding it more fascinating and more relevant than ever.
Sun Tzu lived in China in the sixth and fifth centuries BC, serving as a general and strategist to the king of Wu. A philosopher and writer, his military stratagems, written over 2,500 years ago, are still pertinent today.
Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.
John Minford studied Chinese at Oxford and has taught in China, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. His highly regarded translations from the Chinese include two volumes of the Penguin Classics edition of Cao Xueqin’s eighteenth-century novel The Story of the Stone. He is a coeditor of the landmark volume Classical Chinese Literature: An Anthology of Translations and a coeditor of Seeds of Fire: Chinese Voices of Conscience.
Reviews
“The most useful and important book ever written for aspiring leaders.”
“The Art of War is among the greatest classics of military literature ever written. Sun Tzu warfare is as applicable today as when the book was written some 2,500 years ago.”
“Just when we thought a new Sun-tzu The Art of War translation is not needed, retired Professor John M. Minford’s masterful work proved us wrong.”
“[The] most famous of the classic Chinese military writings…Shows that Sun-tzu was not just a solitary genius, but the product of a remarkably rich martial culture.”
“Fills a serious gap for anyone interested in the history of ancient warfare…a fascinating book.”
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