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The Art of War, cover art, a papercut mountain range with a lone figure
Cover art
Chapter One, Calculation, interior plate
Chapter Seven, Water, interior plate
Chapter Eight, Foreknowledge, interior plate

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The Whetstone · Volume I

The Art of War

Sun Tzu, in the Lionel Giles 1910 translation, curated and illustrated for this edition.
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Thirteen chapters, cut to what matters and regrouped into eight ideas you can use: calculation, deception, speed, position, and more.

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Edition Specs
TranslationLionel Giles, 1910, public domain
Curated passages55, drawn from 13 original chapters
Structure8 themed chapters
Illustration8 original Cut Depth plates, plus cover
Trim size5.5 × 8.5 in
Page count42 pages
FormatCasewrap hardcover or paperback
PrintingPrinted to order, worldwide
The Curation

War Is Not the Subject

It is called The Art of War, but war is not really its subject. Beneath the ancient battlefield lies something plainer and more useful: a study of conflict, of scarcity, and of the cold arithmetic of when to move and when to wait.

He wrote roughly twenty-five centuries ago, and his words still land. The reason is simple. The tools of advantage change constantly. The human problem beneath them does not.

That is what this edition is for. Not to help you win a battle, but to help you win the ordinary ones. Where Sun Tzu says terrain, read your market. Where he says the enemy, read whatever stands between you and the thing you are building. Where he says the general, he means you.

Sun Tzu wrote in thirteen chapters that circle and repeat. This edition keeps only the sharpest passages and gathers them under eight ideas a modern reader can use today. Nothing has been added to Sun Tzu. Much has been taken away.

Sample the Edition

Eight Chapters, One Open

Chapter One is open below in full. The remaining seven are listed with their epigraph; the full text ships in the edition.

“The general who wins a battle makes many calculations before the battle is fought.”
多算勝，少算不勝duō suàn shèng, shǎo suàn bù shèng · many calculations win, few do not

The outcome is mostly settled before the first move, and not by courage but by arithmetic. Sun Tzu does not begin with how to fight. He begins with whether to. Weigh your side against theirs, honestly, on the few things that decide it. Then commit only to the fight you have already won on paper.

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.”

“The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.”

Put it to work: before your next real decision, do the arithmetic Sun Tzu asks for. If your position is not stronger than theirs, hold.

“All warfare is based on deception.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

“There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

“Water shapes its course according to the ground. The soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

Full text and passages ship in the edition.

Why It Endures

Read by People Who Had to Win

Verified readers, in their own documented words. No invented quotes.

“The only sign we have in the locker room is from The Art of War. Every battle is won before it is fought.”
Bill BelichickSix-time Super Bowl head coach, on Calculation
“We must not belittle the saying of Sun Wu Tzu: know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.”
Mao ZedongOn his own military writings, on Foreknowledge
Gave Kobe Bryant a copy of this book, and read his Lakers its lessons on patience and adaptation on their run to the 2009 title.
Phil JacksonFrom his memoir, Eleven Rings, on Water
From This Volume

Its Eight Prints

Shop all Art of War prints
Calculation print
Calculation$32
Deception print
Deception$32
Position print
Position$32
Water print
Water$32
Buy this edition with any 3 prints and save. Code WHET3 applies automatically at checkout.
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The Art of War
$36.00 · Hardcover
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