Many don’t know that there are a number of works entitled, “The Art of War,” but the one by Sun Tzu, written circa 500 B.C., is the oldest and best known and required reading at nearly every military academy in the western hemisphere. This is a short book of about 80 pages, dealing with fundamental tactical and strategic concepts. Sun Tzu is largely credited with being among the first to understand and use terrain to gain a tactical advantage, and almost certainly the first to actually write about it. The book also explores a number of other factors that contribute to tactical acumen. Many contemporary tactical principles, adages, axioms, and the like, can be traced back to this treatise, including the maxim in our lobby, “The objective is to win—not to fight.” While there are at least three English versions of this book, I strongly recommend the one by James Clavell because of the ease of reading.
Recommended by Sid Heal in Episodes 1 & 2