Author Description

The two political classics in this book are the product of a time of intense turmoil in Chinese history. Dating from the Period of the Warring States (403-221 BC), they anticipate Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" by nearly 2,000 years. "The Art of War" is the best known of a considerable body of Chinese works on the subject. It analyzes the nature of war, & reveals how victory may be ensured. "The Book of Lord Shang" is a political treatise for the instruction of rulers. These texts are anything but armchair strategy or ivory-tower speculation. They are serious, urgent & practical responses to the desperate situations in which they were written. They have been immensely influential both inside & outside China.