384 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1784289119, Sirius
The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China were first canonized under this name during the Song dynasty in the 11th Century and, for imperial officers, either some or all of the works were required reading to merit promotion, very much like the requirement for all bureaucrats to learn and know the works of Confucius. This collection includes these seven famous military texts: The Art of War, Wuzi, Wei Liaozi, Taigong’s Six Secret Teachings, The Methods of the Sima, Three Strategies of Huang Shigong, and Questions and Replies Between Emperor Taizong of Tang and General Li Jing. This particular edition by Sirius Publishing features rather stripped-down version of these texts, without any superfluous introductions, prefaces or footnotes, while the translation itself is more than readable to English-speaking audiences (and while one must never judge a book by its cover, it’s also a gorgeously produced edition, with beautiful foil-stamping and an illustrated slipcase). Overall these new translations bring to light several classic Eastern military texts that display an understanding of strategy and warfare that still has relevance millennia after their original publication.
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