SUN Tzu's great-grandson Sun Pin adds his bit to the renowned military treatise Art of War in the book Military Methods (Westview Press $190) translated by Ralph Sawyer.
Although Sun Pin was battling away back in the fourth century BC, his methods of selecting his troops, going on the attack and dealing with losses offer handy hints for today's business world.
Those who fancy more modern soldiering derring-do can try True Stories of the SAS by Robin Hunter aka Robin Neillands (Virgin $60). It first appeared in 1985 and now gets a fresh, updated outing with the Gulf War and the killing of the three IRA members in Gibraltar included. Older exploits include the SAS' war-time work and its role in then Malaya between 1950-53 in fighting communist guerillas.
Three leading men of past years find themselves once more in the spotlight as the biography industry continues in overdrive. In Search of Churchill (HarperCollins $96) is Martin Gilbert's 30-year project to document Sir Winston Churchill; The Lonely Leader: Monty 1944-5 (Pan $119) finds Alastair Horne tracking down the real General Montgomery, with the help of the soldier's son David; and Brian Hoey's Mountbatten: The Private Story (Pan $119) dusts down the less appealing characteristics of Lord Mountbatten (overly keen on money, liked to interfere in other people's lives) and gives them an airing.
A more contemporary hero is the subject of Tim Jackson's Virgin King (HarperCollins $84). Richard Branson has achieved success by combining business flair with good marketing. This unauthorised biography looks at both the man and his methods.
P J O'Rourke is at it again, pronouncing in his bitter and twisted way on the plight of the planet in All the Trouble in the World (Picador $85). Here he tackles among other things, pestilence, famine and death.