The Seven Military Classics is one of the most profound studies of warfare ever written. It presents us with an Eastern tradition of strategic thought that emphasizes outwitting one's opponent through speed; stealth; flexibility; and a minimum of force—an approach very different from that stressed in the West; where the advantages of brute strength have overshadowed more subtle methods.Safeguarded for centuries by the ruling elites of imperial China; even in modern times these writings have been known only to a handful of Western specialists. In this volume are seven separate essays; written between 500 b.c. and a.d. 700; that preserve the essential tenets of strategy distilled from the experience of the most brilliant warriors of ancient China.Only one of these seven essays; Sun Tzu's famous Art of War; has been readily available in the West. Thanks to this faithful translation of the complete Seven Military Classics; the insights of these ancient Chinese texts are now accessible in their entirety.It's not uncommon to see a “salaryman†on a crowded Tokyo subway studying one of the many popular Japanese editions of these essays. But why do so many businesspeople in Japan; Korea; and Taiwan study a 2;000-year-old military text? Because it embodies the strategic tradition of outwitting an opponent through speed; stealth; flexibility; and a minimum of effort. These principles have been proven both on the battlefield and in the marketplace. Now they are available in the West for the first time in their entirety.The lessons found in this book were exploited by such pivotal Asian war leaders as Japan's Yamamoto; China's Mao Tse-tung; and Vietnam's Giap to inflict terrible defeats on their enemies. And in more recent times; when Japan and others have decided to win their laurels on the field of international economic competition; these principles have been a key to the achievements of many Asian corporations. Executives in Japan; Korea; and Taiwan regularly study the Seven Military Classics. Unfortunately; even those far-sighted Western business leaders who have read Sun Tzu have glimpsed only a fraction of the knowledge their best Asian competitors use to plan corporate strategy—until now.Those who appreciate Chinese literature and philosophy will also discover much that is new in these pages. Here is a substantial but previously inaccessible body of thought that stands in contrast to Confucianism; which deprecated the military sphere in favor of self-cultivation and the ethical life.The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China remedies a serious gap in Western knowledge of Asian thought. This accurate translation is based on the best available classical Chinese manuscripts; some only recently discovered by archaeologists. It is a uniquely important contribution to the world's military literature and is essential reading for anyone interested in China's rich cultural heritage or in the timeless principles of successful strategy.
#354970 in Books Joe McGinniss 2012-09-05 2012-09-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.56 x 2.00 x 4.38l; 1.15 #File Name: 0451417941976 pagesFatal Vision
Review
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Why MacDonald makes Us doubtBy J. NelsonJoe McGuinnis has done an amazing job writing a book that is honest and has certainly withstood the test of time.I have read everything on this case and what stands out for me is the hold this has on almost anyone who chooses to become aware of the story. I completely understand Mr McGuinnises feelings about Jeffrey MacDonald....the questions one askes : if he did this how can I like him? The doubt one might have; even in the face of so much physical proof.It is not the facts which cause one to doubt MacDonalds guilt.......it is MacDonald himself. It is our faith in ourselves and our own goodness which causes us to doubt that he could be guilty of such a thing. Rod Stewart sings a song with the lyrics: If i listen long enough to you;Ill find a way to believe that its all true.Knowin that you lied ;straight faced; while I cried.Still I look to find a reason to believe.And that is the thing about jeffrey MacDonald; he is the kindof guy who makes you look to find a reason to believe he is innocent. So much about him appears ; at least on the surface; like us. So much about him looks good; looks in some cases; even better then us.After reading Fatal Vision I realized I know Collette MacDonald and what went on in the MacDonald family much more. Throughout the book Jeff MacDonald gives examples where he; in a sense; abandons his wife and children. He leaves her living at his parents home while he works and goes to school. He leaves her while he is working and in medical school; he doesnt attend the birth of their 2nd child; he joins the army; he joins the Green Berets; he joins the boxing team.....all things that will take him away from his wife and family. What wife would be happy about that? He is constantly telling Collette I am leaving you alone. I have work; i have friends; I have an activity. He often has more then one job. When there is a chance for he and Collette and the children to be alone and have family time Jeff invites people over; the neighbors; his friends; family. On Valentines day before the murders Jeff had a friend of his over to the house. What wife wants to spend Valentines day with her husbands friend?? There is also an example of a holiday where Collette was preparing a huge dinner and Jeff wanted to invite the neighbors over. Collette clearly told him no and he did it anyway and ruined her dinner. Hours of her hard work and the love put into a family dinner is ruined by him. Do people really believe she didnt FEEL the blatent disregard for her in that?? He bought a pony. Everyone likes to believe this pony is a grand gesture. Why would a mother with 3 small children under the age of 6 ; who will be alone and saddled with the responsibilities of a home; wish to take on the responsiblity of a pony??? Again Collette is completely disregarded. Collette loved MacDonald ; of that i am certain. Because she asked for so little from him emotionally. And its very clear she got nothing.MacDonalds mother also says that she never saw any cruelty in her son. I beg to differ. I see cruelty when a husband invites a friend over for Valentines day instead of giving the evening to his wife in appreciation for her love and devotion. I see cruelty when instead of protecting the thought; love; and time that went into a holiday dinner his wife is preparing he invites people over who are not family and devalues his wifes efforts. I see cruelty when his wife; who needs a C section; which is major surgery; and he leaves her bedside; the hospital having her to go through it alone. He was a doctor. Any doctor knows with surgery there is a risk of death. He apparently didnt care and this was conveyed to Collette. In addition to all this.....are the betrayals....the numerous women he slept with. He had no time for his wife or family; but he somehow made time for them. In the book he says she may have known about the stewrdess......he thinks nothing of this; yet anyone who has ever been cheated on can tell you.....one stewardess is one too many. The pain of one is tremendous.I know MacDonald. I went out with someone just like him. A golden boy on the outside. To this day a golden boy. Most would find it difficult to believe what this person is like behind closed doors. Except those who are VERY close to him. The thing is; so few people are emotionally close to him. Like MacDonald; he has a million friends and yet no truely close friend who KNOWS him. Like MacDonald he will tell you anything. Like MacDonald he is obsessed with his image of golden boy and will say and do anything to keep that image. Like MacDonald he is a liar; a manipulator; a fake. He is an ape. He mimics emotion and caring; but feels nothing for others. His currency is praise and admiration; he feeds off it like it was food. In McGuinesses book Collette wrote MacDonald a letter in the very beginning. In it she signs by saying she adores him. I was shocked; because my friend was told the same thing by me and I used those exact words....I adore you. His comment? I like that. I like those words you used....no one has ever said that to me before. So I know why MacDonald kept that particular letter. Collette adored him. We all know that means she loved him. But for MacDonald ....it meant he was a god.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE!!By LauraLMHSI am a late-comer to this story. When the MacDonald murders were committed in February 1970 I was a mere child. Over the intervening years (nay; decades) I had heard numerous references to the name (and the crime); but never really paid much heed; and although I was an avid television-watcher in the 1980s; had never even seen the four-hour mini-series of the same name based on this book. So I can honestly say that I opened up Fatal Vision with an unprejudiced mind.I doubt if I can add anything constructive to the discussion here. I mean; what more can be said about this crime that hasn’t already been said in the almost 50 (!) years since its commission? [….And yet; this was still new territory to me….]But one thing I can say is this: The book that I just finished reading was such an engrossing page-turner and so gripping and so riveting; that I almost feel like it has spoiled me for all other books to come. Now that is saying a lot!In short; Fatal Vision tells the by-now infamous and well-known story of how Jeffrey MacDonald; seemingly the perfect husband/father; awoke in the middle of a rainy winter night to find a bunch of Hippie intruders in his home on the Fort Bragg military base who had; in Manson-like fashion; butchered his wife and children in their respective bedrooms (while he was asleep on the living room couch). Or so he claimed....Bereft of evidence and with no leads as to MacDonald’s contentions; the law turned its gaze to him as a suspect. Truthfully; the mere suggestion that this seemingly upright; clean-cut individual could be accused of such a heinous crime had me believing at first that he was being scapegoated or railroaded by a system that was simply too inept to find the “real†killers. I soon changed my thoughts on that.After an acquittal by a military grand jury; it was still possible to believe that this man was innocent of these horrible accusations. But the story picks up steam by the time (incredibly; several years later) he is brought to trial in a civilian court. By book’s end I felt convinced that he was indeed the perpetrator of these unspeakable crimes.Until about half-way through I kept thinking that if I had been on the jury I would have a difficult time convicting this man. After all; he was the All-American guy: Movie star handsome; intelligent; over-achiever; a surgeon; a Green Beret; with a promising career and dreams of the future; and a perfect family. But Joe McGinniss did an extraordinary job of convincing me otherwise.Fatal Vision is extremely well-written and exhaustively detailed. (I wish I had kept notes while I was reading of some of the author’s more artful turns of phrase.) At almost 1000 pages long; reading this book is a thoroughly immersive experience. For one thing; it will tell you everything you could ever possibly want to know about the events surrounding these brutal murders and MORE than everything you could ever possibly want to know about not only Jeffrey MacDonald’s background but his psychological make-up as well. Not only is the crime dissected; but so is his psyche. Even at this length; I finished the book in a matter of days; including an intense period of reading over a long holiday weekend when I simply COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN; and I feel like I lived this story and became intimately acquainted with all the characters - including the victims - whose portrayals by this author were nothing short of masterful.The book takes the reader all the way through the serpentine legal history of this case: military investigation; tortuous (and torturous) indictment; lengthy trial; a series of appeals leading all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court; etc. Remarkably (and owing to the author’s special privilege); interspersed throughout are long narratives in MacDonald’s own words.At several points while reading I audibly gasped at something the author revealed – relating either to a development in the story line; or; in some cases; to something perfectly outlandish or outrageous spoken by MacDonald; who is portrayed as the ultimate narcissist and martyr.One advantage that this author had over other authors who may have written other books on the same subject is that he actually lived with MacDonald and accompanied his defense team during the days of his trial and afterwards (after the conviction) had access to personal written materials that were not publicly obtainable. It was not only the closing arguments of counsel (memorialized verbatim here) that got me to change my mind; but also McGinniss’ equally adept post-mortem based in part on his access to these materials.I just ordered a copy of A Wilderness of Error by a different author; which purports to take an opposing viewpoint to this book. I am very curious to see if this book will go to any length in changing the opinion I have formed from reading Fatal Vision.An awesome; impressive read. An outstanding true crime story. Highly; HIGHLY recommended.10 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Right where he needs to beBy Deanna DinielliCouldn't put it down. I read this and A Wilderness of Error; both with an open mind; and I have to say the case against MacDonald is strong. He did it. Helena Stoeckley was a drug addict who admitted she could not remember if she was present and at other times was sure she was; and expressed fear of the defense counsel due to their threats against her. She was confused. Her brain was fried. All the people who came to MacDonald's defense and said he couldn't possibly have done it because he was such a great guy don't understand that psychopaths can pull the wool over the eyes of even their closest loved ones; even mental health professionals. He had motive; he wanted to be free to live the single life without Colette and fatherhood getting in the way. Most importantly; the forensic evidence was damning.
