There is more to my life than just traveling around the globe, although I cannot complain about traveling per se. As a matter of fact, one of the most enjoyable parts of travelling is the time one obtains to flip-open a book and actually do some reading. Whether sitting at the airport where there are no plugs for a laptop adapter, or in a tiny airplane seat that was designed for a person half your height, or finally at the beach pretending that being exposed to the sun for a prolonged amount of time is a good thing after all, a book is simply a perfect companion. I suppose you can listen to some music as well, or even audio books, but in the end none of these seem quite as satisfying as a book which can take you to places far beyond what you thought your imagination might be capable off.
Anyhow, the latest book that fell victim to my travels has been Sun Tzu’s classic The Art of War. The particular edition I read, was translated by Dr. Thomas Cleary, and can be ordered here if you are interested. It is no secret that The Art of War is highly applicable to the business world. The outcome of wars whether military or economic, in the end is mostly determined by the proper and timely application of some fundamental strategic principles. The problem is that choosing the right strategy at the right time given particular conditions, results in an infinite amount of possibilities for defeat or victory. The important lesson is to understand that no method or strategy will work all the time. In addition, knowing how to act and when to act, is just as important as knowing when not to act at all. Finally, knowing your own abilities, the abilities of your opponent, as well as the conditions will maximize your probability of pursuing the best strategy. Of course, the book delves a lot deeper on each of these topics, it has over 400 pages of valuable content after all, but this was just a little primer to wet your appetite.
There are several reasons, why I chose Thomas' translation while browsing the myriad of editions available at the bookstore. First of all, I simply like his writing style. He is easy to understand, and his translations flow naturally, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that he has translated quite a few classical Asian and Islamic texts. Second, each section of the Art of War in his translation is accompanied by translations of commentaries from several other prominent Chinese philosophers and military strategists of ancient times, such Cao Cao, Li Quan, Wang Xi, and many more. This really gives depth to the translation and brings to light the different interpretations of the ancient text; in particular since occasionally these philosophers interpret the same passages very differently. On other occasions, they build on each other to arrive at deeper and non-obvious conclusions. If this were not enough, this edition also contains translations from The Lost Art of War by Sun Bin, as well as translation from the Sliver Sparrow Art of War, which contains previously unknown fragments of The Art of War.
Having translated many ancient Asian texts, Thomas has a very comprehensive understanding of the evolution of Chinese philosophical thought, which comes is very helpful as on many occasions he is able to provide very useful background information that allows a less well-rounded reader to gain a deeper understanding of the translated text. Anyhow, if you need a little reading that is more on the serious side, and might be beneficial to your career, I would highly recommend this edition.
Anyhow, the latest book that fell victim to my travels has been Sun Tzu’s classic The Art of War. The particular edition I read, was translated by Dr. Thomas Cleary, and can be ordered here if you are interested. It is no secret that The Art of War is highly applicable to the business world. The outcome of wars whether military or economic, in the end is mostly determined by the proper and timely application of some fundamental strategic principles. The problem is that choosing the right strategy at the right time given particular conditions, results in an infinite amount of possibilities for defeat or victory. The important lesson is to understand that no method or strategy will work all the time. In addition, knowing how to act and when to act, is just as important as knowing when not to act at all. Finally, knowing your own abilities, the abilities of your opponent, as well as the conditions will maximize your probability of pursuing the best strategy. Of course, the book delves a lot deeper on each of these topics, it has over 400 pages of valuable content after all, but this was just a little primer to wet your appetite.
There are several reasons, why I chose Thomas' translation while browsing the myriad of editions available at the bookstore. First of all, I simply like his writing style. He is easy to understand, and his translations flow naturally, which probably has a lot to do with the fact that he has translated quite a few classical Asian and Islamic texts. Second, each section of the Art of War in his translation is accompanied by translations of commentaries from several other prominent Chinese philosophers and military strategists of ancient times, such Cao Cao, Li Quan, Wang Xi, and many more. This really gives depth to the translation and brings to light the different interpretations of the ancient text; in particular since occasionally these philosophers interpret the same passages very differently. On other occasions, they build on each other to arrive at deeper and non-obvious conclusions. If this were not enough, this edition also contains translations from The Lost Art of War by Sun Bin, as well as translation from the Sliver Sparrow Art of War, which contains previously unknown fragments of The Art of War.
Having translated many ancient Asian texts, Thomas has a very comprehensive understanding of the evolution of Chinese philosophical thought, which comes is very helpful as on many occasions he is able to provide very useful background information that allows a less well-rounded reader to gain a deeper understanding of the translated text. Anyhow, if you need a little reading that is more on the serious side, and might be beneficial to your career, I would highly recommend this edition.
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