死後に発表された『戦争論』をはじめとする偉大な軍事学者として知られるカール・フォン・クラウゼヴィツ（1780-1831年）。武器の攻撃範囲がたったの50ヤード（約46メートル）だった時代に執筆されたものであるにも係わらず、その研究は今日にもあてはめることができます。本書はナポレオン戦争で従軍した経験と、その時代の知的背景の観点から、クラウゼヴィツの思想について解説します。(cf. Military Strategy, #523; On War (Oxford World's Classics))
   

• as a synthesis of Clausewitz scholarship this study can hardly be faulted' English Historical Review
• Outlines Clausewitz's enduring theory of war, making it of continuing interest to military historians and those interested in the logistics and tactics of war
• Explains how Clausewitz's theory relates to his actual experience in the Napoleonic wars
• Essential reading for anyone interested in military history or strategy
• Michael Howard is a well-known trade history author

Karl von Clausewitz's study On War was described by the American strategic thinker Bernard Brodie as 'not simply the greatest, but the only great book about war'. It is hard to disagree. Even though he wrote his only major work at a time when the range of firearms was fifty yards, much of what he had to say remains relevant today. Michael Howard explains Clausewitz's ideas in terms both of his experiences as a professional soldier in the Napoleonic Wars, and of the intellectual background of his time.