A Prussian soldier and writer, von 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 included in this work have been heeded by military strategists for nearly 200 years. Most 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 (edition 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 was to select those portions which most closely relate to our own time.