Antony Cummins - The Ultimate Art of War: A Step-By-Step Illustrated Guide to Sun Tzu’s Teachings

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THE ULTIMATE ART OF WAR

ANTONY CUMMINS

First published in the UK and USA in 2019 by

Watkins, an imprint of Watkins Media Limited

Unit 11, Shepperton House, 8393 Shepperton Road

London N1 3DF

Design and typography copyright Watkins Media Limited 2019

Text copyright Antony Cummins 2019

Artwork copyright Antony Cummins 2019

The right of Antony Cummins to be identified as the Author of this text has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Commissioning Editor: Fiona Robertson

Managing Editor: Daniel Culver

Editor: James Hodgson

Head of Design: Georgina Hewitt

Designer: Karen Smith

Production: Uzma Taj

Commissioned artwork: Jay Kane

Calligraphy: Yamamoto Jyuh

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78678-271-7

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro and Brandon Grotesque

Colour reproduction by XY Digital

Printed in China

www.watkinspublishing.com

WARNING

The information contained within this book is for historical research purposes only and should not be recreated nor re-enacted in any way. Watkins Media Limited, the author and any other persons who have been involved in working on this publication cannot accept responsibility for any injuries or damage incurred as a result of applying the information in this book.

CHAPTER 7: The Scroll of Military Combat

Index

As I write this foreword for The Ultimate Art of War , I am working on a new article interpreting the concepts and evolution of Chinese military dialectics. One may consider the two works belong to different realms one aimed at a mainstream readership, the other at an academic audience but it occurs to me that their importance is linked. The harder I try to advance the scholarship of Chinese strategic thought in the West, the more I fear my efforts might be in vain, as the current foundation of the scholarship remains flimsy. Groundwork is needed for the academic scholarship to stand firm.

The Ultimate Art of War gives me some hope with regard to this longstanding problem. As a classic that is often heard of and read but seldom understood in the West, Sun Tzus Art of War has thus far remained in the translation phase. And we know this translation approach has reached its limits. Antony Cummins has made an important first step in going beyond mere translation by offering readers a modern reading that takes a step-by-step, graphical approach. By breaking down the Art of War into individual, easy-to-understand teachings, it helps clarify the chapters of the original that are hard to digest for most non-academic readers. Such use of lessons is an enhanced form of studying Sun Tzu by the means of maxims, yet it is more helpful than merely trying to learn from the maxims alone. I believe Antony Cummins has developed a new and systematic way of studying the Art of War for the Western world.

I am impressed by Antonys devotion and enthusiasm in his studies of the ninja and the samurai , and taking on the transmission of Chinese strategic thought to the West is another tremendous task that requires the same courage and determination. I am glad that Antony Cummins is on board with this project. His cross-cultural literacy and clever illustrations make The Ultimate Art of War an ideal companion book to Sun Tzus original text.

As I suggested in my book Deciphering Sun Tzu , in addition to the historical and philosophical approach that I have been advocating and pursuing, the next essential step to be taken in the scholarship of Sun Tzu and broader Chinese strategy is a more extensive study of Chinese military and strategic history. I am hopeful that Antony Cummins will continue his great work and through his illustrated books help reignite the study of Chinese strategy in the West.

Derek M.C. Yuen

Author of Deciphering Sun Tzu: How to Read the Art of War

BIO

Derek M.C. Yuen has a PhD in Strategic Studies from the University of Reading. He is the author of Deciphering Sun Tzu: How to Read the Art of War (New York: Oxford University Press; London: Hurst). Based in Hong Kong, he has been researching and publishing on the synthesis of Chinese and Western strategic thought and the strategic thinking of Sun Tzu, Lao Tzu and Mao Zedong. He is currently working on a book about the strategic thought and military dialectics of Mao Zedong.

The Art of War is a military text believed to have been written by an ancient Chinese strategist known as Sun Tzu during the late Spring and Autumn Period (fifth century BC ). Its continued influence in all parts of the modern world is a testament to the timeless and universal wisdom of its teachings. There are myriad translations, interpretations, expansions and inspirations based on the original, all of which hold merit. However, this book focuses on Sun Tzus core teachings and explores each lesson in greater depth than has been done before. By breaking the Art of War down into individual, easy-to-understand teachings, this book aims to inspire readers to delve deeper into the weightier writings on war and strategy.

The Art of War has been in existence for over 2,000 years, yet it remains a text that is often read but seldom explored. New translations and treatments of the work continue to spring up year after year. From comic book interpretations to business models and leadership guides, there is seemingly no end of uses for the Art of War , but none of these books fully explores the teachings themselves. Previous illustrated editions have contained only the translated text lavishly adorned with gorgeous pictures of old China and related artefacts to help give a flavour of the subject matter. In contrast, this edition presents not only the translation itself, but also in-depth explanations supported by illustrations and diagrams specifically conceived to clarify Sun Tzus concepts.