The Art of War

ANNOTATION

Widely read and highly esteemed throughout the 16th century, this major work was a favorite of Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Saint-Cyr, and Clausewitz. In it, Machiavelli makes liberal use of the theories of the Romans while advancing the revolutionary idea that politics and war constitute a kind of functional unity.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A fundamental work by one of the greatest political and military theorists of Western civilization. Voltaire said, "Machiavelli taught Europe the art of war; it had long been practiced, without being known." For Machiavelli, war was war, and victory the supreme aim to which all other considerations must be subordinated. The Art of War is far from an anachronism—its pages outline fundamental questions that theorists of war continue to examine today, making it essential reading for any student of military history, strategy, or theory. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469—1527) believed The Art of War to be his most important work.