Long considered the most essential treatise on military strategy and tactics, The Art of War comprises thirteen chapters, each dedicated to a different aspect of warfare. Reaching far beyond the battlefield, it is a manifesto for success in every kind of conflict or competition, having had a notable influence on various subjects such as law, sports, and interpersonal relationships.In this definitive 1910 Lionel Giles translation, the celebrated sinologist’s interpretive notes and valuable commentary make clear the nuances of Sun Tzu’s language. Most critical, Giles provides the context and culture from which the general’s theories emerged.Revised edition: Previously published as The Art of War, this edition of The Art of War (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions. Read more

The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法; lit. 'Sun Tzu's Military Method') is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Late Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 5th century BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun"), is composed of 13 chapters. Each one is devoted to a different set of skills or art related to warfare and how it applies to military strategy and tactics. For almost 1,500 years it was the lead text in an anthology that was formalized as the Seven Military Classics by Emperor Shenzong of Song in 1080. The Art of War remains the most influential strategy text in East Asian warfare and has influenced both Far Eastern and Western military thinking, business tactics, legal strategy, politics, sports, lifestyles and beyond.The book contains a detailed explanation and analysis of the 5th-century BC Chinese military, from weapons, environmental conditions, and strategy to rank and discipline. Sun also stressed the importance of intelligence operatives and espionage to the war effort. Considered one of history's finest military tacticians and analysts, his teachings and strategies formed the basis of advanced military training for millennia to come. Read more

A German historian’s account of the Nazi retreat from France in the summer of 1944: “An important book [about] a surprisingly under-examined phase of WWII” (Anthony Beevor, Wall Street Journal). The Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, marked a critical turning point in the European theater of World War II. The massive landing on France's coast had been meticulously planned for three years, and the Allies anticipated a quick and decisive defeat of the German forces. Many of the planners were surprised, however, by the length of time it ultimately took to defeat the Germans. While much has been written about D-Day, very little has been written about the crucial period from August to September, immediately after the invasion. In Rückzug, Joachim Ludewig draws on military records from both sides to show that a quick defeat of the Germans was hindered by excessive caution and a lack of strategic boldness on the part of the Allies, as well as by the Germans' tactical skill and energy. This intriguing study, translated from German, not only examines a significant and often overlooked phase of the war, but also offers a valuable account of the conflict from the perspective of the German forces. Read more

"A tour de force of scholarship, analysis and narration.…Lloyd is well on the way to writing a definitive history of the First World War." —Lawrence James, TimesThe Telegraph • Best Books of the YearThe Times of London • Best Books of the YearA panoramic history of the savage combat on the Western Front between 1914 and 1918 that came to define modern warfare.The Western Front evokes images of mud-spattered men in waterlogged trenches, shielded from artillery blasts and machine-gun fire by a few feet of dirt. This iconic setting was the most critical arena of the Great War, a 400-mile combat zone stretching from Belgium to Switzerland where more than three million Allied and German soldiers struggled during four years of almost continuous combat. It has persisted in our collective memory as a tragic waste of human life and a symbol of the horrors of industrialized warfare.In this epic narrative history, the first volume in a groundbreaking trilogy on the Great War, acclaimed military historian Nick Lloyd captures the horrific fighting on the Western Front beginning with the surprise German invasion of Belgium in August 1914 and taking us to the Armistice of November 1918. Drawing on French, British, German, and American sources, Lloyd weaves a kaleidoscopic chronicle of the Marne, Passchendaele, the Meuse-Argonne, and other critical battles, which reverberated across Europe and the wider war. From the trenches where men as young as 17 suffered and died, to the headquarters behind the lines where Generals Haig, Joffre, Hindenburg, and Pershing developed their plans for battle, Lloyd gives us a view of the war both intimate and strategic, putting us amid the mud and smoke while at the same time depicting the larger stakes of every encounter. He shows us a dejected Kaiser Wilhelm II—soon to be eclipsed in power by his own generals—lamenting the botched Schlieffen Plan; French soldiers piling atop one another in the trenches of Verdun; British infantryman wandering through the frozen wilderness in the days after the Battle of the Somme; and General Erich Ludendorff pursuing a ruthless policy of total war, leading an eleventh-hour attack on Reims even as his men succumbed to the Spanish Flu.As Lloyd reveals, far from a site of attrition and stalemate, the Western Front was a simmering, dynamic “cauldron of war” defined by extraordinary scientific and tactical innovation. It was on the Western Front that the modern technologies—machine guns, mortars, grenades, and howitzers—were refined and developed into effective killing machines. It was on the Western Front that chemical warfare, in the form of poison gas, was first unleashed. And it was on the Western Front that tanks and aircraft were introduced, causing a dramatic shift away from nineteenth-century bayonet tactics toward modern combined arms, reinforced by heavy artillery, that forever changed the face of war.Brimming with vivid detail and insight, The Western Front is a work in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman and John Keegan, Rick Atkinson and Antony Beevor: an authoritative portrait of modern warfare and its far-reaching human and historical consequences. Read more

Along with Sun Tzu's The Art of War, The Book of Five Rings is considered to be one of the most insightful texts on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory to emerge from Asia. Composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was a mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess—and it is this path to mastery that is the core teaching in The Book of Five Rings. This brilliant manifesto is written not only for martial artists but for anyone who wants to apply the timeless principles of this text to their life. Read more

From “the finest historian of the American Revolution” comes the definitive account of the unlikely victory that led to US independence (Douglas Brinkley).In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, George Washington’s army lay idle for want of supplies, food, and money. All hope seemed lost until a powerful French force landed at Newport. Under Washington’s directives, Nathanael Greene began a series of hit-and-run operations against the British. The damage the guerrilla fighters inflicted would help drive the enemy to Yorktown, where Greene and Lafayette would trap them before Washington and Rochambeau, supported by the French fleet, arrived to deliver the coup de grace.In Victory at Yorktown, Richard M. Ketchum illuminates the strategies and heroic personalities—American and French—that led to this military triumph. Relying on good fortune, daring, and sheer determination, a coalition of fighters brought about that rarest of military operations: a race against time and distance, on land and at sea. Ketchum brings to life the gripping story of how the rebels defeated the world’s finest army against all odds. Read more

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “The greatest World War II story never told” (Esquire)—an enthralling account of the heroic mission to rescue the last survivors of the Bataan Death March—from the author of Blood and Thunder. On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected U.S. troops slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty rugged miles to rescue 513 POWs languishing in a hellish camp, among them the last survivors of the infamous Bataan Death March. A recent prison massacre by Japanese soldiers elsewhere in the Philippines made the stakes impossibly high and left little time to plan the complex operation. In Ghost Soldiers Hampton Sides vividly re-creates this daring raid, offering a minute-by-minute narration that unfolds alongside intimate portraits of the prisoners and their lives in the camp. Sides shows how the POWs banded together to survive, defying the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and torture. Harrowing, poignant, and inspiring, Ghost Soldiers is the mesmerizing story of a remarkable mission. It is also a testament to the human spirit, an account of enormous bravery and self-sacrifice amid the most trying conditions. Read more

The year is 1942.The world is at war. Almost every major nation has declared for the Allies or the Axis. Europe is occupied by the Third Reich, and the British Islands have been invaded and conquered by the Germans. Metropolitan France has fallen, along with its North African colonies. Spain and Turkey have joined the Axis. The Middle East is Axis. The USA and Soviet Russia are also at war with the Third Reich.Only one major power is still on the sideline. Imperial Japan, already busy in its war of conquest in China, dawns to the idea of conquering the Pacific and Southeast Asia, following German successes in Europe and the subsequent weakening of the resource-rich Franco-British and Dutch colonies.The United States, following Japan’s occupation of the French colony of French Indo-China in 1940, froze all of Tokyo’s assets, stopped scrap metals deliveries, and is just about to stop delivering oil to the hungry Japanese military machine. A move certain to trigger a reaction from the warmongers in Tokyo.President Roosevelt’s decision to do so is about to have dire consequences for America. The Imperial Navy has set its sight on the main US base in the Pacific, Pearl Harbor. And all across the Japanese-held islands of the Pacific, the forces of the Rising Sun prepare for a full-scale invasion that they hope will give them control over the resources the country needs to continue on its expansion.This is the story of the War in the Pacific. Read more

Combining riveting combat writing with masterful research, award-winning historian and #1 internationally bestselling author Damien Lewis delivers the remarkable true story of Britain’s infamous, elite Special Air Service (SAS) forces, their legendary commander, and the impossibly daring, historic mission to liberate Europe via the largest invasion fleet ever assembled. July 1943: The largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers. The Royal Navy warship carrying them—a former passenger ferry transformed for battle—bore the iconic winged dagger emblem carved on its prow, plus the motto ‘Who Dares Wins,’ painstakingly fashioned with the most rudimentary tools by Sergeant William ‘Bill’ Deakins, the foremost explosives expert on board and a Royal Engineer by trade. Led by the SAS commander Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked with the impossible—to be the first among the fleet—the very tip of the spear—to bludgeon their way through the most heavily defended enemy shoreline, enabling the ensuing forces to follow on. If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the war. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Against all odds, outnumbered some fifty-to-one, and facing a ferocious series of cliffside defenses, they would have to dare all as never before. So begins the true story of the SAS’s incredible mission, an endeavor replete with surprise, shock, action, heroism, and glory, not to mention treachery, dismay—and the longstanding personal aftershocks of brutal and bloody years spent at war. Read more

Summer Campaign of 1915.The good weather has finally arrived, and the empires of Europe are ready to hurl their armies and fleets at each other in a fight of titanic proportions. The stakes are high, with Austria-Hungary and France reeling on the brink of disaster. The clash of Empires is about to unfold.The German Army is on the verge of launching a powerful offensive at the Russian lines in Central Poland, aimed at the powerful fortress of Brest Litovsk. The final aim is to derail Russian General Brussilov’s offensive against the Austro-Hungarian Empire by forcing it to retreat to face the Reich.The Russian Empire continues to relentlessly attack the Carpathian Foothills and the plain of Hungary and are nearing Budapest, while a new admiral (Alexander Kolchak) takes over the Black Sea Fleet along with two new dreadnought battleships with which to battle Admiral Souchon’s Ottoman Navy for the mastery of the sea.In the West, both the British and the French suffer from a severe shortage of shells and ammunition, forcing them on the defensive instead of bringing the fight to the Germans while they are busy in the East. Meanwhile, the OHL launches an attack on Verdun to try and dislodge the French from their fortified position and also attacks the Entente south near Paris.War heats up in the Middle East, with an Ottoman attack on the Suez Canal and on the British-occupied Iraqi town of Basra near the Persian Gulf and the Persian Abadan Oil Refinery. Both powers will struggle hard for control over the very warm summer months.The naval war continues to rage, with the new Souchon-Kolchak rivalry, the continued flight of the German Asian Squadron (von Spee), and the 3rd Battle Squadron (Funke), pursued by the dynamic Beatty-Togo duo. In the Atlantic, the U.S. Navy arrives in Liverpool ready to fight, while the Germans double down on sending raiders into the open Atlantic and unleash unrestricted submarine warfare. A big showdown is on the horizon for both sides.Finally, the American invasion of Mexico plows on toward Mexico City and the State of Chihuahua, where the bandit-warrrior Pancho Villa is pursued by a dynamic young colonel, George Patton.This is the story of the Great War that might have been. Read more

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first definitive history of Israel’s targeted killing programs, which have shaped the Israeli nation, the Middle East, and the larger world—from the man hailed by David Remnick as “arguably [Israel’s] best investigative reporter.”“An exceptional work, a humane book about an incendiary subject . . . full of shocking moments, surprising disturbances in a narrative full of fateful twists and unintended consequences.”—The New York TimesWINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD IN HISTORY • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Economist, The New York Times Book Review, BBC History Magazine, Mother JonesThe Talmud says: “If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first.” This instinct to take every measure, even the most aggressive, to defend the Jewish people is hardwired into Israel’s DNA. From the very beginning of its statehood in 1948, protecting the nation from harm has been the responsibility of its intelligence community and armed services, and there is one weapon in their vast arsenal that they have relied upon to thwart the most serious threats: Targeted assassinations have been used countless times, on enemies large and small, sometimes in response to attacks against the Israeli people and sometimes preemptively.In this page-turning, eye-opening book, journalist and military analyst Ronen Bergman—praised by David Remnick as “arguably [Israel’s] best investigative reporter”—offers a riveting inside account of the targeted killing programs: their successes, their failures, and the moral and political price exacted on the men and women who approved and carried out the missions.Bergman has gained the exceedingly rare cooperation of many current and former members of the Israeli government, including Prime Ministers Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as high-level figures in the country’s military and intelligence services: the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), the Mossad (the world’s most feared intelligence agency), Caesarea (a “Mossad within the Mossad” that carries out attacks on the highest-value targets), and the Shin Bet (an internal security service that implemented the largest targeted assassination campaign ever, in order to stop what had once appeared to be unstoppable: suicide terrorism).Including never-before-reported, behind-the-curtain accounts of key operations, and based on hundreds of on-the-record interviews and thousands of files to which Bergman has gotten exclusive access over his decades of reporting, Rise and Kill First brings us deep into the heart of Israel’s most secret activities. Bergman traces, from statehood to the present, the gripping events and thorny ethical questions underlying Israel’s targeted killing campaign, which has shaped the Israeli nation, the Middle East, and the larger world. Read more

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A New York Times bestseller that brings to life one of the bloodiest battles of World War II—and the beginning of the end of the Third Reich. On August 5, 1942, giant pillars of dust rose over the Russian steppe, marking the advance of the 6th Army, an elite German combat unit dispatched by Hitler to capture the industrial city of Stalingrad and press on to the oil fields of Azerbaijan. The Germans were supremely confident; in three years, they had not suffered a single defeat.The Luftwaffe had already bombed the city into ruins. German soldiers hoped to complete their mission and be home in time for Christmas.   The siege of Stalingrad lasted five months, one week, and three days. Nearly two million men and women died, and the 6th Army was completely destroyed. Considered by many historians to be the turning point of World War II in Europe, the Soviet Army’s victory foreshadowed Hitler’s downfall and the rise of a communist superpower. Bestselling author William Craig spent five years researching this epic clash of military titans, traveling to three continents in order to review documents and interview hundreds of survivors. Enemy at the Gates is the enthralling result: the definitive account of one of the most important battles in world history. It became a New York Times bestseller and was also the inspiration for the 2001 film of the same name, starring Joseph Fiennes and Jude Law. Read more

Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) is the most famous Samurai who ever lived. His magnum opus, the Go-Rin-Sho or Book of Five Rings is a classic that is still read by tens of thousands of people each year—Japanese and foreigners alike.Alex Bennett's groundbreaking new translation of The Book of Five Rings reveals the true meaning of this text for the first time. Like Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Musashi's book offers unique insights, not just for warriors, but for anyone wanting to apply the Zen Buddhist principle of awareness to achieve success in their endeavors. This book sheds new light on Japanese history and on the philosophical meaning of Bushido—the ancient "code of the Japanese warrior."Unlike other translations that are based on incomplete and inaccurate versions of Musashi's work, Bennett's is the first to be based on a careful reconstruction of the long-lost original manuscript. Capturing the subtle nuances of the original Japanese classic, the result is a far more accurate and meaningful English version of The Book of Five Rings text. Richly annotated and with an extensive introduction to Musashi's life, this version includes a collection of his other writings—translated into English for the first time. A respected scholar, as well as a skilled martial artist, Bennett's understanding of Musashi's life and work is unparalleled. This book will be widely read by students of Japanese culture, history, military strategy, and martial arts. It sets a new standard against which all other translations will be measured. Read more

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“England made many mistakes; she is paying heavily for them now. In studying the reasons why England slept, let us try to profit by them and save ourselves her anguish.” – John F. KennedyIn 1938, British statesman and soon-to-be Prime Minister Winston Churchill published his book Arms and the Covenant. It was published three months later in the United States under the title While England Slept; A Survey of World Affairs, 1932-1938.In While England Slept, Churchill emphasized England’s lack of military readiness or a realistic plan to face the threat of Hitler and Nazi Germany's Anschluss, their territorial aggression and expansionism into the rest of Europe. He particularly targeted in his critique, the British government, led by the Conservative Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, directly leading to widespread public dissatisfaction over the Munich Agreement and England’s dovish policy of “appeasement.”In 1940, future President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, who was a senior at Harvard University, wrote his dissertation, criticizing Churchill’s harsh blame of England’s leaders, even drawing comparisons between England and the United States for its own similar lack of preparedness against the totalitarian Nazi regime.Alluding to the title While England Slept, named his book, Why England Slept.Discover all of this and more in this beautifully designed deluxe original classic 1940 edition of the work.“To say that all the blame must rest on the shoulders of Neville Chamberlain or of Stanley Baldwin, is to overlook the obvious. As the leaders, they are, of course, gravely and seriously responsible. But, given the conditions of democratic government… it is unreasonable to blame the entire situation on one man or group.” – JFK Read more

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"At a time when we must adapt to the changing character of conflict, this is a serious book on a serious issue that can give us the edge we need.” —General James Mattis, USMC, Ret. "Left of Bang offers a crisp lesson in survival in which Van Horne and Riley affirm a compelling truth: It's better to detect sinister intentions early than respond to violent actions late. Left of Bang helps readers avoid the bang." —Gavin de Becker, bestselling author if The Gift of Fear "Rare is the book that is immediately practical and interesting. Left of Bang accomplishes this from start to finish. There is something here for everyone in the people business and we are all in the people business." —Joe Navarro, bestselling author of What Every BODY is Saying. "Left of Bang is a highly important and innovative book that offers a substantial contribution to answering the challenge of Fourth Generation war (4GW)." —William S. Lind, author of Maneuver Warfare Handbook "Like Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Left of Bang isn't just for the military. It's a must read for anyone who has ever had a gut feeling that something's not quite right...be it walking down the street, sitting in a corporate boardroom, or even entering an empty home." -- Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of The Lion's Gate, The Warrior Ethos and Gates of Fire “An amazing book! Applying the lessons learned during the longest war in American history, and building on seminal works like The Gift of Fear and On Combat, this book provides a framework of knowledge that will bring military, law enforcement, and individual citizens to new levels of survival mindset and performance in life-and-death situations. Left of Bang is an instant classic.” --Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army Ret., author of On Combat and On Killing -- You walk into a restaurant and get an immediate sense that you should leave. -- You are about to step onto an elevator with a stranger and something stops you. -- You interview a potential new employee who has the resume to do the job, but something tells you not to offer a position. These scenarios all represent LEFT OF BANG, the moments before something bad happens. But how many times have you talked yourself out of leaving the restaurant, getting off the elevator, or getting over your silly “gut” feeling about someone? Is there a way to not just listen to your inner protector more, but to actually increase your sensitivity to threats before they happen? Legendary Marine General James Mattis asked the same question and issued a directive to operationalize the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter program. A comprehensive and no-nonsense approach to heightening each and every one of our gifts of fear, LEFT OF BANG is the result. Read more

March-April 1915.The German High Sea Fleet sorties out of its harbors in Brest and St-Nazaire to challenge the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet once more, triggering a powerful naval battle. Meanwhile, a German battle squadron races south to get to German Southwest Africa. The Fleet's mission is to help the German Pacific Squadron that will eventually sail out of the Atlantic via the Cape Horn.On land, both the Central Powers and the Entente are planning an offensive as Spring and early summer arrives. First, the Germans are poised to make a play for Lithuania and the Baltic States to assault the fortress of Kaunas and continue eastward.In the Carpathian Mountains, the Russian Empire, under the command of General Aleksei Brussilov, is about to launch one of the greatest offensives of the war to date. Spanning a front thousands of miles long from Bessarabia to Southern Poland, over 1.5 million men will soon attack the defensive trenches of the beleaguered Austro-Hungarian forces.Things are also heating up in the Middle East, with the Ottoman Empire's offensive on the Suez Canal and British plans to land in Iraq and Kuwait. Admiral Souchon and his fleet also continue to dominate the Black Sea, but two Russian dreadnought battleships are about to sail out of Nikolayev shipyards to challenge the domination of the Turko-Greco-German fleet.In between all of that, more fighting on the Eastern Front, more Erwin Rommel in the Franco-Italian Alps, and a major international incident between Germany and the United States of America, still neutral, in Mexico.This is the story of the Great War that might have been. Read more