I’ve been a fan of The Art of War—the famous Chinese military treatise written in the 6th century B.C.—for a long time. Particularly, the Lionel Giles translation which was originally published in 1910 and is now in the public domain (and in digital e-book form thanks to Project Gutenberg).

I’ve been wanting to do a web project centered around the book for a couple of years now. At its core, a way to read the book; but also as a place to really explore it and discuss it with other enthusiasts. Well, I’m happy to announce that I’ve finally found some time to work on it and the result is suntzusaid.com:

It might seem strange to be talking about The Art of War but there really is a lot more to it than just military strategy. Certainly the wisdom in this book can be (and is) applied to warfare. But if you allow yourself to think of the business world or even parenting as a form of conflict you find that much of the advice is appropriate in those fields as well.

For example, Sun Tzu says that “All warfare is based on deception.” Anyone with kids old enough to speak can see the truth in that. ;-)

I’m putting the finishing touches on the site, adjusting some content here and there, but I’d love it if you checked it out and shared it with your friends (and let me know if you find anything broken). Most of all, I hope that at least a few of you enjoy it as much as I have. Thanks!

Comments

1. The Hungry Ghost on 2007-06-23 00:05:30 wrote: This is one of those books that I have always meant to read. I have just had a quick look at the website, and it looks great. The easyread option looks especially useful. Thanks

2. Massimiliano Greco on 2007-06-23 03:54:40 wrote: Thank you for all your work in the Flickrdom and again thank you for your site on Sun Tzu. Cheers Max Greco

3. jeff on 2007-12-22 23:32:37 wrote: Thea Art of War is a must read. It’s teachings can be applied to any career and to nearly any decision you will make in life.