"Thomas Cleary's translation of "The Art of War " makes immediately relevant one of the greatest Chinese classical texts. There's not a dated maxim or vague prescription in it. . . .You can throw out all those contemporary books about management and leadership."--"Newsweek"

The warrior-philosopher and master strategist Sun Tzu, about whom little is known, compiled "The Art of War " more than two thousand years ago. Legend has it that he was known for the brilliant campaigns he led around the time of Confucius. His work was memorized and passed down orally, before eventually being copied onto bamboo strips and passed around.