The Art of War

This Norton Critical Edition includes:

The new and internationally acclaimed translation by Michael Nylan, accompanied by her detailed explanatory footnotes.

A richly informative introduction by Michael Nylan.

Fourteen illustrations.

Seven interpretative essays on The Art of War's central themes by Michael Nylan and Shoufu Yin, Benjamin Daniels, Trenton Wilson, Joseph Passman, Alfreda Murck, Li Ling, and Richard Curt Kraus.

A selected bibliography.

About the Series

Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts, and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyse, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.

... presents a fresh, distinctive and original rendition of the much-parsed classic ... the text is presented in a form that is clear and readily understood and at the same time inexhaustibly rich in meaning. – New Statesman

Michael Nylan's translation is marvellous. The pithiness of certain parts of the text, its aphoristic quality, presents an exceptionally difficult challenge. Because Nylan has a deep understanding of the social and cultural milieu that produced Sun Tzu's treatise, she has created an English-language version that is accessible while retaining the literary beauty of the original. Her introduction and supporting materials are very helpful to the reader, and I would expect that this version will become the standard one in the field. – Dennis Washburn, Dartmouth College and translator of The Tale of Genji

Michael Nylan's masterful translation of The Art of War brings historical depth to our understanding of the classic and also illuminates its broad significance for our world today. – Wai-yee Li, Harvard University