The Art of War (Smithsonian History of Warfare): War and Military Thought

The art of making war is among humankind's earliest professions, stretching far back before the written word, when heroic deeds in battles were carved on stone or recited through poem or song.In this sweeping, lucid history, Martin van Creveld explores military thought and strategy, from the earliest Chinese military thinkers to 20th-century perspectives on terrorism. This incredibly comprehensive book provides the reader with a gripping narrative of how war has been waged in ages past and a glimpse of what war may come to look like in the future.

• Military theories from Chinese thinker Sun Tzu to experts on guerrilla warfare and the terrorism of today


• Strategies of the Greeks and Romans as they worked to raise armies, discipline them, arm them, and provide them with the means for victory


• The work of military geniuses Adam von Buelow, Antoine Henri Jomini, and Karl von Clausewitz, theorists who devised strategies still in use today


• Modern armored air, naval, and nuclear warfare -- how technology has changed the face of battle