Written over two hundred years ago, many consider Principles of War (1812) one of the great books on war. Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, while being the military tutor of sixteen-year-old Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, wrote this essay for the prince's education on war, its tactics, and strategy. The current edition was translated by German American historian Hans W. Gatzke and originally released in 1942.