The
Art of War: The Quintessential Collection of Military Strategy (Knickerbocker
Classics) Sun Tzu, Nicolo Machiavelli, with An Introduction by Erik O.
Ronningen -
Over the course of time there have been shelves full of
books written about strategic thinking and how to apply strategy to business.
While many of these books have been touted as classics and have offered up
nuggets of useful information most have not held up in the same fashion as the
classic military strategy books that date back hundreds, if not thousands of
years.
These military treatises have been interpreted and
re-interpreted many times and have had variations that point to a way to
utilize them in the world of business. Four of these truly classical takes on
strategy are collected in a beautiful and extremely useful package dubbed, The Art of War: The Quintessential
Collection of Military Strategy.
Housed in a sturdy slip cover, this well designed
collection includes; Sun Tzu’s The Art of
War, Nicolo Machiavelli’s, The
Prince, General Carl von Clausewitz’s, On
War, and Fredrick the Great’s, Instructions
to His Generals. Military veteran Erik O. Ronningen provides an
introduction to the collection that not only informs, but adds historical
context for each of the individual books.
While many renditions and interpretations of Sun Tzu
have come before; I have muddle through any number of variations, the version
included in this set tracks very well and is among the most relatible versions
I have encountered. The von Clausewitz is a book that I have recommended many
times after an instructor at West Point passed along his recommendation to me. There
is something quintessential about each of these pieces that translates to even
modern situations.
Perfect for fans of military history or business
strategy, it has allowed me to jettison the individual, often dog eared copies
of the four books. There is something substantial about the heft of this
book/case that tells me it will stand the test of time, much like the texts it
contains. While I have gifted my son with some of these books individually, I
plan to purchase an additional copy to pass along to him this holiday season.
