Recommended
"Not using local guides, one cannot take advantage of the ground."
- Sun Tzu
Sites
Sonshi.com
A long-standing site on Sun Tzu, this site has resources such as interviews with Sun Tzu experts, articles, blog posts, as well as one of the most accurate translations of Sun Tzu that I've read. (It was also the first one that I read, over twenty years ago.)
Scienceofstrategy.org
The premier online educational resource on Sun Tzu's The Art of War. This site gives a practical, business-oriented interpretation of The Art of War. Its creator, Gary Gagliardi, also has one of the most unique translations of the text. If you want to understand The Art of War on a deep, intellectual level, this site is for you.
Biography of Sun Tzu
This site gives a good biography of Sun Tzu and the period in which he lived and wrote The Art of War.
Sun Tzu - Wikipedia
Also gives a great introduction to Sun Tzu, his work, and his time period.
Translations
In my studies of The Art of War, I have read a lot of translations. Not all of them are equal, so here is just a short list of my top three favorite ones:
Related Strategy Books
Here are some suggested books that are either related directly to Sun Tzu or related to strategy in general:
Essays & Articles
Here are some essays or articles that give some background and context to Sun Tzu's philosophy.
Sonshi.com
A long-standing site on Sun Tzu, this site has resources such as interviews with Sun Tzu experts, articles, blog posts, as well as one of the most accurate translations of Sun Tzu that I've read. (It was also the first one that I read, over twenty years ago.)
Scienceofstrategy.org
The premier online educational resource on Sun Tzu's The Art of War. This site gives a practical, business-oriented interpretation of The Art of War. Its creator, Gary Gagliardi, also has one of the most unique translations of the text. If you want to understand The Art of War on a deep, intellectual level, this site is for you.
Biography of Sun Tzu
This site gives a good biography of Sun Tzu and the period in which he lived and wrote The Art of War.
Sun Tzu - Wikipedia
Also gives a great introduction to Sun Tzu, his work, and his time period.
Translations
In my studies of The Art of War, I have read a lot of translations. Not all of them are equal, so here is just a short list of my top three favorite ones:
- The Denma Translation. This translation is one of my favorites because of its poeticism. It preserves a lot of the brevity Sun Tzu used in his text.
- Sonshi's Translation. This translation is a favorite, not just because it was the first one I ever read, but because it is very accurate to the text. It also flows very well when reading.
- Roger Ames' Translation. Roger Ames' translation is hailed as one of the best due to his deep academic study of Ancient Chinese thinking. The book also includes several lost texts that features interviews between Sun Tzu and King Helu, further showing Sun Tzu's strategic insight.
Related Strategy Books
Here are some suggested books that are either related directly to Sun Tzu or related to strategy in general:
- The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene
- The Golden Key to Strategy by Gary Gagliardi
- The Warrior Class: 306 Lessons in Strategy by Gary Gagliardi
- The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
- Playing to Win by Roger Martin and AG Lafley
- Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard P. Rumelt
- The Art of War: Complete Text & Commentaries translated by Thomas Cleary.
Essays & Articles
Here are some essays or articles that give some background and context to Sun Tzu's philosophy.
- "Yin Yang Philosophy" by Gary Gagliardi. Introduces the concept of yin-yang (or complementary opposites) and its influence in Sun Tzu's work.
- "Complementary Opposites: The Levers of Competition" by Gary Gagliardi. Goes deeper into the concept of complementary opposites in Sun Tzu's work.
- "The Sun Tzu Way" by Sonshi. Reflections from an esteemed Sun Tzu translator on how to apply and live Sun Tzu's wisdom in every day life.
