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Random House Books for Young Readers

The 33 Strategies of War (Joost Elffers Books)

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Description

Brilliant distillations of the strategies of war—and the subtle social game of everyday life—by the bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power and The Laws of Human Nature Robert Greene’s groundbreaking guides, The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and Mastery, espouse profound, timeless lessons from the events of history to help readers vanquish an enemy, ensnare an unsuspecting victim, or become the greatest in your field. In The 33 Strategies of War, Greene has crafted an important addition to this ruthless and unique series. Spanning world civilizations, synthesizing dozens of political, philosophical, and religious texts and thousands of years of violent conflict, The 33 Strategies of War is the I-Ching of conflict, the contemporary companion to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Abundantly illustrated with examples from history, including the folly and genius of everyone from Napoleon to Margaret Thatcher, Shaka the Zulu to Lord Nelson, Hannibal to Ulysses S. Grant, as well as movie moguls, Samurai swordsmen, and diplomats, each of the thirty-three chapters outlines a strategy that will help you win life’s wars. Learn the offensive strategies that require you to maintain the initiative and negotiate from a position of strength, or the defensive strategies designed to help you respond to dangerous situations and avoid unwinnable wars. The great warriors of battlefields and drawing rooms alike demonstrate prudence, agility, balance, and calm, and a keen understanding that the rational, resourceful, and intuitive always defeat the panicked, the uncreative, and the stupid. An indispensable book, The 33 Strategies of War provides all the psychological ammunition you need to overcome patterns of failure and forever gain the upper hand. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (December 14, 2007)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 512 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0143112783


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 85


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.62 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.1 x 9.1 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #2,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3 in Military Strategy History (Books) #93 in Motivational Self-Help (Books) #125 in Success Self-Help


#3 in Military Strategy History (Books):


#93 in Motivational Self-Help (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A modern-day classic of war strategy
This superlative book begins with a Table of Contents section that includes the chapter title and a portion of the chapter overview. This section provides a nice preview and, for later, an excellent refresher/reference. See the online “Look Inside” of the paperback version for this interesting and important overview. The Preface includes six fundamental ideals for transforming oneself into a strategic warrior in daily life: 1. Look at things as they are, not as your emotions color them. 2. Judge people by their actions. 3. Depend upon your own arms (mind/intelligence). 4. Worship Athena (goddess of strategic warfare/intelligence), not Ares (god of war). 5. Elevate yourself above the battlefield (focus on long-term objectives). 6. Spiritualize your warfare (challenge and improve yourself). General description of the book: There is one chapter for each of the 33 strategies, with no summary at the end. Each chapter is a collection of stories/examples of the discussed strategy in the way of extended quotes from other books, interspersed with shorter stories/quotes. Then comes an image in the form of a strategic thought with words filling a creative outline of the concept described. Then comes an “Authority” quote from a historic figure. Finally, there comes a “reversal” (counter or antidote to the strategy described). Surprisingly, there is no summary at the end of the book. Many of the strategies (“plans to gain an objective/win”) are stratagems (“artifices or tricks in war for deceiving and outwitting the enemy”). Some of the strategies are truly Machiavellian (amoral). However, the author neglects to emphasize that such strategies only work in the short term. The enemy learns. As well, your cohorts or allies also learn you are not to be trusted. A good bit of advice about character and virtue from Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” Should the author ever wish to revise his book, here are a couple of items I would recommend he address: P 220 Sun-Tzu “4th century BC.” However, Sun-Tzu is claimed to have lived in the 6th century to the 5th century BC (544-496 BC). Page 231 “Next time you launch a campaign, try an experiment: do not think about either your solid goals or your wishful dreams, and do not plan out your strategy on paper. … Dreaming first of what you want and then trying to find the means to reach it is a recipe for exhaustion, waste, and defeat.” OTOH, this flies in the face of recommendations from many experts: First, determine your goal, then brainstorm for solutions, then evaluate your alternatives. At the end, if your effort provides no good path to your goal, consider adjusting your goal. P 316 “The North Vietnamese, meanwhile, did everything they could to win the peasants over and earned for themselves an army of millions of silent sympathizers.” The North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong intimidated and murdered the peasants as well. P 550 “…had it [the US] continued its march all the way to Baghdad in 1991, it could have forced Saddam Hussein out of office as a condition of peace, preventing a future war and saving countless lives.” Though the book was written in 2006, this option was and still is highly debatable. Mistakes were made both to how the Iraq I war (aka Gulf War, 1990-1991) started and ended, allowing Saddam to kill the Kurds in northern Iraq. In Iraq II (2003-2011), the demand for Saddam to rid himself of Weapons of Mass destruction was essentially forcing him to prove a negative (philosophically impossible). The end of Iraq II shows the US made plenty of mistakes, all of which goes to suggest that strategizing about Iraq was fraught with peril. P 587 Hitler’s “beloved dog, Biondi.” Blondi. P 668 “Tip and run raids by small bands of Cossacks.” Hit and run. “Tip and run” refers to a phrase used in the Second World War to denote a hurried and often indiscriminate air raid when small number of German planes crossed the English Channel and tipped (unloaded) their bombs onto coastal English towns and quickly headed back across the Channel. The above few issues notwithstanding, the book is outstanding. At 933 pages long, it is well-written and documented. Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in strategy! Of possible interest, a book on winning strategies used throughout history by 87 master strategists Strategic Advantage: How to Win in War, Business, and Life ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2023 by William J. Bahr
    • excellent condition
Thanks so much for sending this so quickly and in excellent condition. i love the robert green books about the diff laws and excited to read this one too. i picked a couple random spots to read and so far, this book is def not a disappointment. its worth the read 😊
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2024 by Krazycoldhrtdazn82
    • Fantastic read. Great blend of philosophy and history.
I'm really enjoying Greene's use of history to outline key facets of philosophy and psychology within human nature. Highly recommended.
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024 by Kindle Customer
    • Excellent read
This is a good book for people who want to get the knowledge on strategies for every day life and business.
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2024 by Kenny De Bique
    • Whether you are a war monger, or a helpless underling, this book is for you
Here we go: I was in an unhealthy and emotionally abusive relationship. The kicker was that I worked with my partner, sharing the stage of our work setting, training athletes. It was getting to the point where I was being so heavily manipulated and put down all the time, that I was blind to what I was putting up. What I was forced to deal with was severely polluted & unacceptable treatment that no one in their right mind should have to endure. So this book... with it's slicing wit and seductive charm made its way back into my life one day. I had read bits of it before, and was very intrigued... but I guess previously I had nothing to apply it to, to prove its value. Also, since the start of this relationship, pursuing my own mind and reaching for resources for development was hardly an available possibility. My, did that attitude soon expire. I was about to see that the revolution you are looking for is always available... and it rests with you. Jump ahead 5 months after getting enmeshed in it. I read the book at first chronologically, and then I slowly started jumping the chapters, using the table of contents as a guide to piece together the behaviors of this man I was with. I was coming to understand the violence in his actions towards me, what he was doing, and how he was doing it. Slowly, subconciously, a transformation began. I started working on myself. I got in really great shape. I began to inwardly declare war. Without realizing it, I was becoming very much aware of his plays for power, and I had taught myself to ignore them, to take them with a grain of salt... while continuing to let him believe that he was the one pulling the strings. Then one day, a sad letter came in the mail for my outspoken oppressor in the form of one of the biggest blows to an ego that a man should face--for his blow came suddenly, and publicly--as I was leaving, stepping out the door with one of his top athletes. Strangely, none of this was pre-planned. I had not meditated on this outcome. I had not planned a guerrilla strategy as mentioned in the later parts of the book. All I can say to you is that something clicked. Wham, bam, thank you mam... and it all came crashing down. This isn't to say that I didn't take some bumps on the way down myself... but this is war. There are always compromises and losses to consider, but a good strategist will find their way to the finish that services them best. In the end, I ultimately came up the winner, knowing that I was done with the futility of being in a macabre relationship, that was taking its toll, killing me slowly everyday. Gone are those days. On an even more successful note, I am happy to report that I'm still with the guy I left with. All of this has been a true blessing that has both lifted my spirits, and nourished my formerly broken mind. If being a victim is not for you, read this classic book on strategy. Whether you realize it or not, it'll take you away from the dangers you face by being one... in one sense or another. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2012 by Bua Darling

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