History of Text in China
First
Western Translation
English Translation
Early English Translations
Early Popular Versions
Modern Versions
English Translation History
The "public domain" versions of Sun Tzu's The Art
of War that are available today are all from the early translations by Calthrop
(1905) and Giles (1910). Another popular work by Samuel Griffith on The Art of War
was published in 1963. Written prior to the Chinese compilations of Sun
Tzu in the 1970s, all of these works were based on fragmentary and often
contradictory Chinese sources.
The Art of War became more popular in the 1980s, when it began to
make its way into popular culture. This inspired the popular writers, Clavell
and Cleary, to release their own versions of the work, which remain popular
today. Unfortunately, these works were based either on earlier English
translations or the older incomplete sources, rather than the more complete
versions of the Chinese that were now available in China.
The first modern English translations
of what is now considered the complete Art of War were done in the
nineties, first by Roger Ames and later by Gary
Gagliardi. Gagliardi's work, The Art of War plus the Ancient Chinese Revealed,
remains the only award-winning translation and the only translation that is
updated regularly. It is used as a guide for translations into other languages,
including Asian languages.
