Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Art of War: A Revised Edition of the Ellis Farneworth Translation (Da Capo Paperback) by Niccolo Machiavelli ISBN: 0-306-80412-3 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1990 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (11 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Detailed & Stirring Instructional On The Great Art.
Comment: Macchiavelli is in his brilliant & compelling best in this admirably written book on military matters & affairs.In a no-nonsense,direct,military approach he narrates his martial dictums from a conversational setting,highlighting on all aspects of warfare:tactics,strategy,proper rulership & the convincingly argued relation between politics & war.The author of The Prince is in complete command in this indispensable book for military enthusiasts & students alike.The great man instructs & informs much clearly & more comprehensively than a lot of the supposed reputable military historians glutted in the market.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good prequel for The Prince, but little military value
Comment: My review of this book will be based on first it's military value and then it's value as political theory book.
I picked this book up purely based upon the title and some of it's references to Roman military history. I gave it three stars because it's primarily a rewriting of Vegetius' "Epitoma Rei Militaris" which is a military manual for what the Roman army should attempt to attain, rather that what it was in practice. Machiavelli takes these theories and implements them in the 15th century European armies with little regard to practicality of such changes in the military and political spheres of medieval Europe. He is a statesman with minimal military expereince attempting redo the face of medieval warfare.
However, from standpoint of political theory it blew me away. I had read Machiavelli's Prince in college but when I read his Art of War everything in the Prince made sense. Machiavelli's take on war is identical to his take on politics. While most classical political views describe their theories as rules for a group of civilized individual within society to worked with each other as friends/collegues for betterment of people within and against their foes outside, Machiavelli destroys this boderline that determines friend and foe. For grasping ultimate power, all individual competors from inside or outside society are treated as a foe. Therefore, all the rules of warfare including those of deceit and treachery are allowed. In this book one sees that the root of Machiavellian political thoery is based on classical theories of warfare advocated by ancient military theorists such as Sun Tzu, Ceasar and Alexander. Machiavelli has replaced the terms offensive and defensive actions in warfare with conspiracy and counter conspiracy in politics. The methods for success in latter two are basically the same with former two.
Rating: 5
Summary: To Arms! To Arms!
Comment: This is the third Machiavelli book that any student of politics MUST read. While The Prince tells a ruler how he should govern and The Discourses explains why unjust and ineffective leaders should be... disposed of, The Art of War gives reasons for the third and ultimate check on political power. Recording a conversation between his friends (with obvious artistic license taken), Machiavelli writes this to support his newly-drafted militia ordinance, requiring all able-bodied men in Florence to arm themselves and be prepared to go to war whenever their country's interests are threatened. He bases this principle on the Swiss model (which is still in place today!) as well as those of Rome and Sparta. The message to his Prince and countrymen is simple: that republics last longer when their citizens are armed and dangerous, and that they are more secure if a prince can call upon a vast army at a moment's notice-- and be able to disband it as soon as the war is over.
As to the actual principles of warfare he provides, they are, naturally, antiquated, and probably weren't very effective since Florence's greatest military achievement seems to have been the conquest of Pisa. The message he sets out to provide, however, is the building of a more secure state by promoting the profession of arms, which he proves has worked every time it has been tried.
 |
Title: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli ISBN: 0553212788 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 September, 1984 List Price(USD): $4.50 |
 |
Title: Discourses by Niccolo Machiavelli ISBN: 0140444289 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 1984 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
