On War was written by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz after the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. It is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of strategy writing ever published. In the book, he uses many historical examples, including copious references to Napoleon and Frederick the Great.

A Prussian soldier and writer, Clausewitz is said to have distilled Napoleon into theory. Perhaps best known among his numerous pronouncements is that war is a continuation of politics by other means. His theories and observations in this work have been heeded by military strategists for nearly two hundred years. Many have considered this to be the Bible of military strategy and tactics.

This abridged version of Clausewitz’s magnum opus follows the text of the New and Revised Edition (edited by F.N. Maude in 1908) of Col. J.J. Graham’s translation. Of the original three volumes, this version includes all of Volume I (except for the last chapter on night fighting) and six of the nine chapters of Book Eight of Volume III (The Plan of War). The editor’s objective in this abridgement was to select those portions of the work which most closely relate to our own time.

‘On War’ by the Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) is a classic of war and military strategy published in 1832. Some of the key concepts discussed in the book include: the methods of critical analysis, the uses and abuses of historical studies, the nature of the balance-of-power mechanism, the relationship between political objectives and military objectives in war, the asymmetrical relationship between attack and defence, strategic and operational “centers of gravity”, the “culminating point of the offensive, and the “culminating point of victory”. Von Clausewitz used historical examples to demonstrate the book’s concepts. Frederick the Great of Prussia and Napoleon Bonaparte are the central historical figures.