The Art of War
A fundamental work by one of the greatest political and military theorists of Western civilization. Voltaire said, "Machiavelli taught Europe the art of war; it had long been practiced, without being known." For Machiavelli, war was war, and victory the supreme aim to which all other considerations must be subordinated. The Art of War is far from an anachronism-its pages outline fundamental questions that theorists of war continue to examine today, making it essential reading for any student of military history, strategy, or theory. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) believed The Art of War to be his most important work.
The Art of War Accessories
 The Prince (Bantam Classics)
Discourses
The Art of War (Shambhala classics)
On War
On War (Oxford World's Classics)
The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics)
Politics (Dover Thrift Editions)
Plato: Republic
The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics)
The Essential Writings of Machiavelli (Modern Library Classics)
The Art of War Reviews
With this book Machiavelli brought science back into warfare and helped Europe cross from medieval warfare to modern war. Though of course very important parts of war, there are many other parts, just as important. Though there are some mistakes in predictions, it is the details to "unimportant matters" like logistics that would make sure this book rightfully would be found on the shelf of any good military commander for centuries. Logistics, morale, intelligence and others. When people think of war, they generally think of battles and strategies.
Great insight into human behavior never changes no matter how much time passes.
If warrior culture is your interest, rather than becoming a sycophant of the Eastern warrior cultures, pair this with George Bird Grinnel's Fighting Cheynne, and you will not only enrich your understanding, but bring it home.
//wiredweird It's the original work that I found weak. Basically, these were detailed directions for a military parade, suited to the set-piece wars of the time, as much pageant as combat. That's all that really has lasting value. With a startling lack of foresight, Macchiavelli dismisses serious use of artillery in pitched battles. Instead, he falls back on strategies of the Greeks and Romans, 1000 to 2000 years old even when he wrote.
I think Master Sun was a bit more merciful (or prgamatic), on the grounds that the wealth of newly annexed parts of the kingdom should be preserved, and the citizens kept happy enough for easy rule. He also goes on about the right kinds of pennants, flags, and colors to use, proper military music, how to make camp, and proper pillaging and distribution of booty. Sun Tzu's warfare had a much more modern look to it, including hit-and-run tactics that the West barely understood until the American revolution. He also takes the "reduction" and sacking of conquered towns for granted.
The bulk of the text is taken up with the right way to position each kind of soldier and arm, rank and file, in marching order. The original was centuries behind Sun Tzu's book of the same name, even though Sun Tzu wrote around 500BC, 2000 years before Macchiavelli. Macchiavelli gives a bit of advice about soldierly temperament and training. The translation is modern and readable, I have no problem with that.
There's also a brief checklist, just two pages, of strategic advice, near the end of the book. The quality of the translation worth four or five stars, partly because of helpful notes and diagrams. but I found Macchiavelli's content frankly disappointing. Directions on how to make camp are subject to errors, though: a measurement 1360 feet long, minus 100 feet at each end, is said to leave a row 1260 feet long rather than 1160 - perhaps an error introduced by the translator, but I tend to think not.
Reading both helps put them in their proper context. Both books are important in the history of philosophy, logic, politics and strategy. His detailed insights on the methods and means for achieving success, however clever and convoluted, were always right to the main point: To the victor there is fame and glory and to the loser there is humiliation and oblivion. To fully understand the point and purpose of these conversations, you must read Machiavelli's other and more important book: "The Prince". Machiavelli's "The Art of War" is only half the story. Machiavelli's vision was always clear that success is all that is important. Both books are exercises in the logic extending from the premise that the ends justify the means. You should either obtain both books or the new volume: "The Art of War & The Prince by Machiavelli - Special Edition" which combines both books into one.
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