a glance at strategy
Explore timeless strategic thinking with this curated book list. From Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' and Machiavelli's 'The Prince' to Musashi's 'A Book of Five Rings' and Clausewitz's 'On War,' discover classic texts on military, political, and business strategy. A master reading list for leaders and historians.
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The Art of War
by Sunzi
Sun Tzu. The art of war. Study of planning and conduct of military operations.
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On War
by Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz was not only an officer who served with great distinction during the Napoleonic campaigns but was also a military historian and intellectual of the highest order—at ease with both the strategic doctrines of his time and the larger movements of thought in the world around him. Out of these elements he distilled his classic discussion of the nature and meaning of one of humankind's central endeavors, war—which he famously declared to be "the continuation of politics by different means." Though unfinished at his death, On War contains all his important ideas about absolute versus limited war, the intrinsic violence of war, and its necessary subjugation to political ends. It would be impossible to overestimate the influence of this book on subsequent strategic thinking, on the political considerations that underlie such thinking, and on the general understanding of human conflict.
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The Prince
by Niccolo Machiavelli
Here is the world's most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince . . . a king . . . a president. When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. In The Prince he envisioned would be unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion. Today, this small sixteenth-century masterpiece has become essential reading for every student of government, and is the ultimate book on power politics.
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A Book of Five Rings
by Musashi Miyamoto
Translated by V. Harris. Japan's answer to the Harvard MBA...Written over three centuries ago by a Samurai warrior, the book has been hailed as a limitless source of psychological insight for businessmen-or anyone who relies on strategy and tactics for outwitting the competition.
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Wwii 6vol Pa Boxed Set
by Winston Churchill
Covers the beginning of the summer of 1943 to the evening of June 5, 1943 with the great armada waiting for the historic landing on June 6.
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The Histories
by Herodotus
The story of the Greek city-states uniting to repel a superior Persian army is the main theme in this classical narrative, but Herodotus fleshes out his text with digressions, describing the wonders of Egypt and recounting stories and folk tales.
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Three Kingdoms
by Guanzhong Luo
A Chinese classic, portraying human ambition against a background of adventure and intrigue and set against historical events of the third century.
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Ronin, The
by Jennings, W. D.
A novel based on Zen mythology, this story is told with humour and irony, in the tradition of realistic Zen mysticism. It is the tale of Ronin, a masterless 12th-century samurai knight, who slashes his way up from the gutter to a position of wealth, honour, and status.
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The Cluetrain Manifesto
by Rick Levine
Lists ninety-five ideas about customer-business interactions over the Internet, and explains how businesses must adjust.