The book was first translated into the French language in 1772 by French Jesuit Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and a partial translation into English was attempted by British officer Everard Ferguson Calthrop in 1905. However, the most popular (and accurate) English language translation was completed by Lionel Giles in 1910. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, General Douglas MacArthur and leaders of Imperial Japan have drawn inspiration from the work.
This edition has 380 footnotes, an introduction, and brief biographies on the 11 main commentators on Sun Tzu's work. This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.