Sun Tzu's Original Art of War is a remastering of the Chinese classic: using the latest archeological discoveries and modern translation techniques, this brand new translation -- prominently adorned with the latest reconstruction of the original Chinese -- updates the unnecessary wordiness and stodginess of traditional academic translations to bring the modern English reader as close as possible to experiencing Sun Tzu as his readers first did some 2500 years ago.

Eschewing the needlessly complex and inaccurately abstract phrasings that mar previous renditions, translator Andrew W. Zieger uses the latest academic research, analysis and methodology to to bring it all back to the simple military text Sun Tzu intended. Vivid, clear, somewhat poetic and at times spiritual: that is the voice of Sun Tzu.

Whether it's for the boardroom, the battlefield or cultural study, Sun Tzu's Original Art of War makes the brilliance of Sun Tzu plain for all to see.

This special bilingual edition of Sun Tzu's Original Art of War uses the best of archaeological and academic research to recover the original Chinese text and faithfully recreate it in English, eschewing the unnecessary wordiness and inaccurate abstractions that mar other English translations. Beautifully adorned with the original Chinese text, critics agree: Sun Tzu's Original Art of War brings the modern English reader as close as possible to experiencing Sun Tzu as his readers first did some 2500 years ago -- revealing the vivid, clear and simple military text Sun Tzu intended. Whether it's for the boardroom, the battlefield or cultural study, Sun Tzu's Original Art of War makes the brilliance of Sun Tzu plain for all to see.

TOP 5 ART OF WAR QUOTES

1. "Know your enemy and know yourself, win without danger."

2. "Knowing when to do battle and when not to do battle brings victory."

3. "Those skilled at making war subdue another 's army without battle, overcome another 's walled cities without attack, overthrow another 's kingdom without delay."

4. "Those who forego contemplation, merely expecting an enemy to be easy, will be captured by him."

5. "When doing battle, prizing victories that take too long dulls weapons and grinds down spirits."

From business to politics to sports, the Art of War is as timely for leaders today as it was for military strategists in ancient China: strategy, negotiation, management, analysis, psychology, logistics, risk, conflict -- everyone from Secretary of State Colin Powell to influential tech CEO Larry Ellison to NBA super-coach Phil Jackson has profited from the timeless wisdom of Sun Tzu's classic.

This special pocket edition of Sun Tzu's Original Art of War uses the most recent archaeological and academic research to recover the original Chinese text and faithfully recreate it in English, avoiding the unnecessary wordiness and inaccurate abstractions of other English translations.

"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.... Pick up The Art of War and read it." General A.M. Gray, Marine Corps Gazette

"When the Japanese, especially those in business, want information on the subject, many turn to an ancient Chinese, not Japanese, military manual, The Art of War.... Shows managers how to be fearless in resolving conflicts." Boardroom Reports

"Unlike most of the more wordy and interpretive translations of the Sun Tzu, Andrew Zieger gives us a unique bare bones rendering of this canonical text a series of word pictures that, in applying his own image-to-image technique, captures the poetically laconic force of the original. In this rendering, the Sun Tzu has not needed to surrender the beauty of its language for the victorious expression of its meaning." Roger T. Ames, Leading scholar in ancient Chinese literature and translator of "Sun Tzu: The Art of Warfare" (1993)

"A highly accessible rendering of the influential work of military theory. Successfully evokes the careful, meditative response Sun- Tzu recommends to would be war-makers. Of use to anyone engaged in competitive endeavors, be they on the battlefield or at the poker table." Martin Harris, Poker journalist and author of the novel Same Difference (2010)

This volume is the first of a 2 volume set aimed at making the important Chinese classic more accessible to students of the Chinese language. Volume 1 (this book) is a reprint of the original 1910 edition (published by Luzac & Co., London) of Sun Tzu on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World by Lionel Giles. The Chinese text, Giles' English translation, as well as his extensive notes are all faithfully reproduced. A Wade-Giles to Pinyin conversion table has been added to make the original classic more useful for the modern student. Volume 2, available separately, includes each chapter in Chinese traditional characters, the pinyin transcription, as well as the English translation.