I’m pretty sure everyone knows this book by now. I think to some extent you can thank capitalism for commodifying such an old work written far before capitalism, and much further than the author could ever anticipate. At the same time, the wide reach of this very short book turned it into something more – workplace guides have been written for managers about it. Self-help gurus also use it to “help” individuals with their “problems”.

But this is exactly why the art of war is still worth being read today. More than the military tactics presented in it, it’s possible to understand the dialectics behind its commodification into a capitalist product.

It’s also a very short read that will take you less than an afternoon to read.