Bibliography
The Art of ‘Ware [version 2.0] by Bruce F. Webster
[Copyright (c) 1995, 2008 by Bruce F. Webster. All rights reserved. Last update: 04/30/08]
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Suntzu pingfa
There are a surprising number of English translations of Suntzu pingfa, and new ones appear on a regular basis. Most of mine date back to the early 1990s, when I wrote the first edition of The Art of ‘Ware, but I’ve picked up a few since then. Here are the ones I own, listed alphabetically by translator/editor. Many (as noted) include traditional commentary by Chinese general and philosophers during the centuries following Sun Tzu.
Ames, Roger. Sun Tzu: The Art of Warfare. Ballentine Books, New York, 1993. As with a few other books in this list, this one makes use of the 2100-year-old Suntzu pingfa manuscript found near Linyi in 1927. Contains extensive discussion (about 100 pages) of history, background, and philosophy. The Suntzu pingfa section has both Chinese and English text, though no commentary. Also has additional Sun Tzu texts and references found in the Linyi site. Has an extensive bibliography.
Clavell, James. The Art of War. Dell Publishing, New York, 1988. This uses the 1910 Lionel Giles translation and has only a little traditional commentary, plus a brief introduction by Clavell.
Cleary, Thomas. The Art of War. Shambhala, Boston, 1988. Contains a 40-page introduction by Cleary. Has traditional commentary interspersed with Sun Tzu’s maxims. At one time also available in a pocket-sized version without introduction or commentary.
Denma Translation Group. The Art of War: The Denma Translation. Shambhala, Boston & London, 2002. Another more recent translation of Suntzu pingfa. Besides containing essays covering specific aspect of Suntzu pingfa, this book give the actual text twice: once by itself and the second time with the translators’ own commentary (as opposed to traditional commentary).
Gagliardi, Gary. The Art of War: Plus The Ancient Chinese Revealed. Clearbridge Publishing, Seattle, WA, 2003. Like Huang and Sawyer (see below), Gagliardi takes issue with many traditional translations of Suntzu pingfa and lays out his methodology for translation; like Wing (see below), he also has the Chinese ideographs and English translation on facing pages and seeks to make the English match the rhythm and conciseness of the original Chinese. If I end up making significant changes to some of the maxims in version 2.0, it will likely be because of Gagliardi, Huang and Sawyer.
Griffith, Samuel B. The Art of War. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1971. For many years, probably the best-known English translation. Has traditional commentary, as well as significant background material.
Hanzhang, Tao. Sun Tzu’s Art of War: The Modern Chinese Interpretation (translated by Yuan Shibing). Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1990. This is an English translation of an analysis of Suntzu pingfa by General Hanzhang, a senior officer in the People’s Liberation Army in China. He analyzes Sun Tzu’s maxims as they apply to actual military issues, drawing upon various examples in Chinese military history. The actual English text of Suntzu pingfa is given in an appendix and is identical to Griffith’s, though it has no commentary.
Huang, J. H. Sun Tzu: The New Translation. William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1993. Also based on the 2100-year-old Linyi texts. Has extensive analysis (in parallel columns) of the text itself, though no traditional commentary. It also has a parallel set of chapters offering discussion of the author’s translation. An extensive set of appendices includes five previously unknown Sun Tzu-related texts found in the Linyi documents. Competes with Sawyer (below) as the most scholarly and exhaustive presentation and analysis, yet is readable. Huang’s translation often differs quite significantly from traditional translations; he offers detailed and fascinating support for his interpretations.
Sawyer, Ralph D. Sun-tzu: The Art of War. Westview Press, Boulder, CO, 1994. An excellent all-around treatment. Sawyer spends 170 pages setting the background of Chinese military history of the era in question, giving his own translation (with no commentaries) of Suntzu pingfa and some of the Sun Tzu-related Linyi documents. He then has another 100 pages of notes supporting his translation.
Sonshi.com. Sun Tzu: The Art of War. I just found this online translation after posting these files to the web (that is, as of May 30, 2007). I have now linked to each of their chapters at the start of my own; it will make a great resource if you want to get back to the original. They also include their own commentary on each of the maxims.
Tsai, Chih Chung. Sunzi Speaks: The Art of War (translated by Brian Bruya). Anchor Books, New York, 1994. A “graphic novel” version of Suntzu pingfa, originally published in Chinese in Taiwan and then translated into English. Don’t let the cartoons fool you; this is an excellent and very accessible exposition of Sun Tzu’s concepts.
Wing, R. L. The Art of Strategy. Doubleday, New York, 1988. Has complete Chinese ideographic text with English translation on facing pages. The translator attempts to make the English phrasing and word patterns match the Chinese, and also attempts to make the text more applicable to life in general. The result is very lyrical and accessible. No traditional commentary. Set up as a personal workbook for dealing with conflict, with each chapter divided into four sections, yielding 52 weekly readings.
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