A Prussian soldier and writer, Clausewitz is said to have distilled Napoleon into theory. Perhaps best known among his numerous pronouncements is that war is a continuation of politics by other means. His theories and observations in this work have been heeded by military strategists for nearly two hundred years. Many have considered this to be the Bible of military strategy and tactics.
This abridged version of Clausewitz’s magnum opus follows the text of the New and Revised Edition (edited by F.N. Maude in 1908) of Col. J.J. Graham’s translation. Of the original three volumes, this version includes all of Volume I (except for the last chapter on night fighting) and six of the nine chapters of Book Eight of Volume III (The Plan of War). The editor’s objective in this abridgement was to select those portions of the work which most closely relate to our own time.
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"Basic training for the young warrior. This quote is one you pickup and apply the rest of your days:"War is not merely a political act, but also a political instrument, a continuation of political relations, a carrying out of the same by other means," "
— carl (4 out of 5 stars)
“Undoubtedly one of the most useful books ever written.”
— New Republic" Not a page-turner, but very thoughtful and astonishingly still credible after two centuries. Certainly no one since has offered a more thorough or insightful treatment of the art of war. "
— Rbolia, 1/27/2014" To be honest, I haven't read all of this, but I find myself rereturning to it from time to time. Any political leader who commits troops or other resources to war should be required read this and then pass a test on it. "
— Brook, 1/22/2014" I think that this book contains some very interesting ideas about the nature of war and strategies how to conduct war. However, I found it not very easy to read and not very easy to distill ideas that can be used outside war. "
— Radoslav, 1/16/2014" Hard to read! But smart. Reallll smart. "
— Sean, 1/13/2014" Clausewitz apparently studied under Kant. The book feels that way (I.e. Kantian): systematic, concept-oriented (despite qualifications that some things should not be theorised), and awkwardly written. "
— Leonard, 1/10/2014" There should be far more quotations of Clausewitz than SunTsu "
— Johnny, 1/2/2014" This is a classic text in military studies and for world history post 1600 AD. Paret and Howard have a superb translation and abridgment here that makes the book accessible for students and for those with a casual interest in strategy. "
— Jessica, 12/22/2013" Wow, pretty ancient text (1800s), hard to read, but instrumental in modern American military doctrine. Good material for putting you to sleep at night. "
— Dane, 11/26/2013" "No one starts a war...without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it. The former is its political purpose; the latter its operational objective." Book VIII, Ch. 2 "
— Leigh, 4/15/2013" Tough read but so incitful into the strategy of warfare. classical realism "
— Sarah, 3/14/2013Carl Von Clausewitz (1780–1831) was a Prussian soldier and German military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war.
Wanda McCaddon (d. 2023) narrated well over six hundred titles for major audiobook publishers, sometimes with the pseudonym Nadia May or Donada Peters. She earned the prestigious Audio Award for best narration and numerous Earphones Awards. She was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine.