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/lit/ - Literature

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12479330 No.12479330 [Reply] [Original]

Best books on military history, philosophy and tactics?
Stuff like The Prince counts.

>> No.12479660

>>12479330

The Art of War in the Western World by Archer Jones.

Exactly as it says on the tin. Gives a good overview of the evolution of western warfare from the ancient period to the modern.

>> No.12479680

>>12479330
The Peloponnesian War: Thucydides
On war: von clausewitz
The Transformation of War: van Creveld
Peace and War: Aron
For that matter, War and Peace: Tolstoy
Politics Among Nations: Morgenthau
The War Trap: Bueno de Mesquita
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics: Mearsheimer

>> No.12479732
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12479732

>>12479330
Easily one of the best.

>> No.12479773
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12479773

Is this a good book? It was recommended to me by a friend.

>> No.12480105

>>12479330
Does anyone know where can I find the historical notes for the art of war?

>> No.12480214

clausewitz, jomini, machiavelli etc. if you are interested in philosophy and principles about it
however, if you want to go further and fully comprehend these principles I suggest you read war memoirs and also examine the maps that usually comes with them (Lost Victories by Von Manstein for example)
you don't learn much from theoretical books without seeing how they were applied via memoirs

>> No.12480260

>>12480214
Any particular recommendations aside from Von Manstein? This sounds like a very good idea, thank you. Would you count stuff like Junger's war novels?

Btw thanks for a comfy thread lads, let's keep it going

>> No.12480424

>>12479330
Commentarii de Bello Gallico by Julius Caesar

>> No.12480519

>>12480424
This is my favourite book of all time, what a masterpiece. This and Thucydides would be enough desert island material for me.

>> No.12480521

>>12480214
>jomini
>if you are interested in philosophy and principles about it
My biggest takeaway from Jomini was the importance of presentation (for lack of a better word) on the battlefield. He makes a solid argument for some things that are counter intuitive.

>> No.12480530

>>12480424
Absolutely - so long as you recognize that he is heavily biased and you are able to read around the bias.

>> No.12481063

>>12480521
>for lack of a better word
The word that I could not dredge was "comportment".

>> No.12481070

>>12479330
Machiavelli's Art of War.

>> No.12482037

>>12479330
/k/ is highly enamored with Hardee's Infantry Tactics, though I have not read it myself.

>> No.12482606

War of the Flea by Robert Taber

>> No.12482637
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12482637

>>12480530

you mean to tell me that the celts weren't uncivilized savages that needed to be domesticated by the strong and disciplined romans?

>> No.12482645

>>12480519
You did read it in Latin, didn't you?

>> No.12483101

Is the art of war(Sun Tzu) good? I heard bad things about it from /lit/.

>> No.12483130

>>12483101
I bought it knowing nothing about it and thought it was surprisingly boring

It's very short but I'm still glad I read it. Talks about ancient warfare and there's some interesting things about the psychology of war

>> No.12483149

>>12483130
How to understand what's being said, successfully?

>> No.12483194

>>12483130
>>12483149
Also where can I find the historical notes?

>> No.12483300

>>12483101
A lot The Art of War has permeated discussions of the subject so much that you have likely already been exposed to a lot of it. Consider it like Plato's Republic. A lot of it may seem trite to a modern reader but it was solid work at the time. If you have interest in the subject then your study will be incomplete without exposure to it. If someone needs a quick primer from a state of abject ignorance then it is a good primer - being such a condensed, fast read. Just don't be a nigger that thinks that he is a master at strategery just for reading it.

>> No.12483370

>>12483194
I think some of what you might want is in an edition that I have. It is a modernized version adapted/written/translated by a PLA general. I will try to find it before the thread dies. It is a good modernization but you should get a classic translation also because he does a poor job of preserving many of the pieces that are frequently quoted. Welp - a websearch yielded it without getting into storage:
>https://www.abebooks.com/9780806966397/Sun-Tzus-Art-Modern-Chinese-0806966394/plp
I recc that you get both this and a standard translation.

>> No.12483474

>>12483370
Thank you.

>> No.12483489

>>12479330
Anything by David Irving.

>> No.12483503

Book of Five Rings
Hagakure
Storm of Steel
Metaphysics of War
Bhagavad Gita

>> No.12483523

>>12483101
Most of the book's criticism is toward people who use it as a self help manual. For instance, managers and CEOs trying to incorporate The Art of War in the field of business.

>> No.12483551

>>12483523
You missed my favorite:
>http://thedemotape.com/2017/08/30/the-higher-ground-sun-tzus-the-art-of-war-applied-to-the-history-of-rap-beef/