Amazon.com description: Product Description: Sun Tzu came from the State of Qi and lived during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history (770 BC - 476 BC). This was a tumultuous time in Chinese history when different states battled for dominance. Sun Tzu was a military strategist, general and advisor, an occupation that found much demand during this period of intense warfare and military innovation. Sun Tzu fled the state of Qi before and invasion to the realm of the Wu. The Wu king appointed Sun Tzu as a general in his army. After a victorious military career Sun Tzu had become a heroic figure to the Wu. He then summarized his military experiences, which he had gained in the wars during the final phase of spring and autumn. This is the translated version of the Art of War with no commentary or additions, it is designed to allow students of the art of War to come to their own conclusions and make their own interpretations without any initial suggestion from historians and other alike. It is designed to provoke thought and encourages readers to think through their own solutions, a rare but a refreshing approach and over time one which has been much needed. We hope you enjoy it. The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise attributed to Sun Tzu (also referred to as "Sun Wu" and "Sunzi"), a high-ranking military general, strategist and tactician. The Art of War was believed to have been compiled during the late Spring and Autumn period or early Warring States period. The Art of War is composed of 13 chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare. The Art of War is commonly known to be the definitive work on military strategy and tactics of its time. The Art of War has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics, and: "for the last two thousand years it remained the most important military treatise in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name." The Art of War has had an influence on Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, and beyond. The Art of War was first translated into the French language in 1772 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and a partial translation into English was attempted by British officer Everard Ferguson Calthrop in 1905. The first annotated English language translation of the Art of War was completed and published by Lionel Giles in 1910. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Baron Antoine-Henri Jomini, General Douglas MacArthur, and leaders of Imperial Japan have drawn inspiration from the Art of War. Sun Tzu considered war as a necessary evil that must be avoided whenever possible. The Art of War notes that "war is like fire; people who do not lay down their arms will die by their arms". The war should be fought swiftly to avoid economic losses: "No long war ever profited any country: 100 victories in 100 battles is simply ridiculous. Anyone who excels in defeating his enemies triumphs before his enemy's threat become real". According to the Art of War, one must avoid massacres and atrocities because this can provoke resistance and possibly allow enemy to turn the war in his favor. For the victor, "the best policy is to capture the state intact; it should be destroyed only if no other options are available". Sun Tzu in the Art of War emphasized the importance of positioning in military strategy. The decision to position an army must be based on both objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective beliefs of other, competitive actors in that environment. He thought that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through an established list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions. Planning works in a controlled environment; but in a changing environment, competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations. The Art of War also shares several entire phrases in common with the other Military Classics, implying that other texts borrowed from the Art of War.