Clausewitz's On War, first published in 1832, remains the classic study of the nature & conditions of warfare. Best remembered for his pronouncement that war is a continuation of politics by other means & for his observations on total war, he gave a new philosophical foundation to the art of war. Complex & often misunderstood, Clausewitz has fascinated & influenced generations of politicians & strategic thinkers. Beatrice Heuser's comprehensive study is the first book on how to read Clausewitz & how others have read him
- from the military commanders in the First World War through Lenin & Mao Zedung to strategists in the nuclear age. The result is an accessible & illuminating introduction to the most influential study of the art of war.