{"product_id":"the-book-of-war-the-military-classic-of-the-far-east","title":"The Book of War: The Military Classic of the Far East","description":"\u003cp\u003e6b Sun Tzu. AKA \u003cem\u003eThe Art of War\u003c\/em\u003e. Translated from the Chinese by Captain E. F. Calthrop. London: John Murray, 1908. Presentation Inscription from the translator. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst edition thus. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEICxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eDating back to the late Spring and Autumn period of ancient China (roughly 5th century BCE), \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwio3fze86CVAxVaOkQIHcDuDVAQ3egRegYIAQgLEAE\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' tabindex=\"0\"\u003eThe Art of War \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eis universally recognized as the world's oldest and most influential military treatise. Attributed to the legendary military strategist \u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003eSun Tzu\u003c\/span\u003e (Master Sun), the text is composed of 13 succinct chapters, each dedicated to a distinct facet of statecraft, military strategy, and combat psychology. Rather than focusing on brute force, Sun Tzu’s philosophy hinges on Taoist principles of flexibility, deception, and subverting an enemy's plans before conflict even begins. For over a millennium, the text served as the cornerstone of East Asian military education, later formalized by Emperor Shenzong in 1080 as the lead text in the \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eSeven Military Classics\u003c\/em\u003e. Its profound concepts eventually migrated west, forever altering how global institutions analyze tactical competition.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEICxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEICxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eWhile the text was first brought to Europe via a 1772 French translation by a Jesuit missionary, it did not appear fully in the English language until the early 20th century. Published by John Murray in London in 1908, the landmark edition titled \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"T286Pc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"wfWfIf fxyaSe\"\u003e\u003cspan data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cspan class=\"jAOkJc\" role=\"button\" id=\"\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"c\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-ved=\"2ahUKEwio3fze86CVAxVaOkQIHcDuDVAQ3egRegYIAQgOEAE\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);' tabindex=\"0\"\u003eThe Book of War: The Military Classic of the Far East\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e stands as the \u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003efirst complete British edition\u003c\/span\u003e of Sun Tzu's work. Translated by \u003cspan class=\"Yjhzub\"\u003eCaptain Everard Ferguson Calthrop\u003c\/span\u003e of the Royal Field Artillery, this volume paired Sun Tzu’s 13 chapters with \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eWu Tzu\u003c\/em\u003e, another foundational ancient Chinese military text. For rare book collectors, a true first edition of this translation—bound in its original gilt-stamped green cloth—is an exceedingly rare high-spot that marks the official introduction of Eastern strategic thought to the English-speaking world. \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDhAA\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDhAA\" data-processed=\"true\" data-complete=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eEverard Ferguson Calthrop (1876–1915) was a highly educated British army officer whose unique military assignments perfectly positioned him to translate this ancient text. In the early 1900s, Calthrop was sent to Tokyo as a military attaché and language student, where he became fascinated by the battlefield philosophy that had fueled Japan's shocking victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Recognizing that Western military academies were completely blind to Eastern doctrines, Calthrop self-funded his linguistic studies to translate Sun Tzu's manuscript, intending to provide the British Empire with a crucial strategic tool before a major global conflict erupted. Tragically, Calthrop would not live to see the global impact of his work; serving as a Commander during World War I, he was killed in action in France in 1915, leaving behind a pioneering translation that paved the way for modern military intelligence.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eToday, \u003cem class=\"eujQNb\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eThe Art of War\u003c\/em\u003e has transcended its original martial context to become a ubiquitous manual for conflict resolution and high-stakes strategy across a multitude of fields. Though subsequent sinologists like Lionel Giles critiqued Calthrop's early linguistic accuracy, his publication permanently broke the ice for the text in the West. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the book has been famously studied by military leaders from Napoleon to General Douglas MacArthur, and it remains required reading at institutions like West Point. Beyond the battlefield, its core maxims—such as \"supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting\"—have been heavily adopted by corporate executives, legal strategists, sports coaches, and diplomats, cementing Sun Tzu's 2,500-year-old advice as an immortal blueprint for human competition.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"n6owBd awi2gc\" data-sfc-cp=\"\" data-sfc-root=\"ep\" data-sfc-cb=\"\" data-hveid=\"CAEIDxAA\" data-complete=\"true\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style='font-family: \"Google Sans\", \"Helvetica Neue\", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 12px 0px 16px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(10, 10, 10);'\u003eOriginal Green Cloth binding. Red boarder to upper board and gilt lettering to board and spine. Markng on rear board. Some spotting internally and offsetting to pp 104-5. Inscription from the translator to solicitor Joe George Calthrop, the brother of Calthrop’s artistic father Claude Andrew Calthrop Lieutenant-Colonel Everad Ferguson Calthrop (1876-1915): “To Uncle Joe, with love from Everard, 11.11.08.” Near fine condition. \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Moons Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56695318937766,"sku":null,"price":13500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/moons-rare-books.myshopify.com\/products\/the-book-of-war-the-military-classic-of-the-far-east","provider":"Moons Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}