History Main / BigBookOfWar

* Yet another work named ''The Art of War'' was released in the 19th century by Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini, who served under Napoleon. His book is book is perhaps best-distinguished from Sun Tzu's by including sketches for the different orders of battle (concave order, flank attack, etc.).

* Yet another work named''The Art of War'' was released in the 19th century by Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini, who served under Napoleon. His book is book is perhaps best-distinguished from Sun Tzu's by including sketches for the different orders of battle (concave order, flank attack, etc.).

* Yet another work named''The Art of War'' was released in the 19th century by Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini, who served under Napoleon. His book is book is perhaps best-distinguished from Sun Tzu's by including sketches for the different orders of battle (concave order, flank attack, etc.).

* Sun Tzu's ''TheArtOfWar'', Clausewitz's ''On War''. Despite the trope name, Sun Tzu's ''Art of War'' is quite small, particularly in the original (archaic and highly compressed) Chinese. The commentaries (necessary for most people to understand the verse - English versions usually include these) are several times longer than the book itself.
** ''On War'' was incomplete at the time of Clausewitz's death and he had just begun a major round of revisions that only reached the first chapter. As a result, many early readers of the book failed to understand it's points about the superiority of defense and the interrelation of war and politics. A large portion of the book, critical volumes on Attack and Defense existed only as outlines. It was still heavily influential on the minds of those soldiers who would fight the first world war, and remains relevant today.
*** The incompleteness of the book is disputed. Azar Gat presents a compelling chronology arguing that what we have of ''On War'' is significantly further along than what was earlier supposed (85% as compared to 45 or 50%, let's say). Clausewitz also noted in 1827, four years before he died, that looking at the first * six* books, even as they stood, would give readers a significant understanding of the concepts he was trying to get across.
*** This is also the source of that construction you've probably come across, "X is the continuation of Y by other means." Clausewitz's original version was "War is the continuation of politics by other means." Well, his ORIGINAL version was in German. But you get the picture.
** Don't forget Machiavelli's ''ThePrince'', which covers military strategy as it pertains to ruling monarchs, and his DiscoursesOnLivy, which devotes the second of its three sections chiefly to conducting war as a republic (with a whole section on siege engines, as I recall). And his ''Art of War'' (yes, he wrote one, too), which goes into rather more detail on war and tactics, which unfortunately failed when put into practice.
** Stephen F. Kaufman's 1996-written softcover edition of Sun Tzu's teachings is probably the most succinct (109 just-larger-than-pamphlet-sized pages) and polished translation and/or modern interpretation yet, and maybe ever to be, written. The fact that it is both: a) solely Sun Tzu's teachings, without poetic-leaning commentary; and b) completely amoral, that is merely stating what one has to do, no matter their politics, to win at mental and physical conflict, only adds to the effect.
* TheBookOfFiveRings, which is a martial arts and military strategy book written by {{Samurai}} warrior MiyamotoMusashi at around 1645. The Japanese-inspired TabletopRPG ''Legend of the Five Rings'' is named in reference to it.

* Mao's ''Little Red Book''.

** Something similar happened with Starfleet's General Orders. Various General Orders were mentioned in the series and films, and many have been compiled together in online list. General Order 2 is, of course, the PrimeDirective. General Order 1 is the command to avoid the planet that Captain Pike found in the original pilot, on the basis that the locals were the first God-like aliens that Starfleet had ever encountered.
*** [[http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Starfleet_General_Orders_and_Regulations Umm, no]]. [[RulesLawyer General Order 7 is avoid that planet]]. It's not called "Prime" Directive for nothing.

* Military doctrine. It is not fictional. In most cases not that "complex". Soldiers are explicitly trained in it.

* ''The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates'' is frequently quoted in ''SchlockMercenary''. This includes such gems as:

[[{{Futurama}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BranniganBookOfWar.png]]

** 3. [[{{ptitle9mewz68v}} An ordnance technician at a dead run]] outranks ''everybody''. ([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20091101.html 1]])

A specific type of FictionalDocument (and occasionally EncyclopediaExposita), the BigBookOfWar is an oft-quoted, but rarely seen in its entirety, book or code which some military ([[MildlyMilitary mildly]] or otherwise) or other group follows. In addition to providing strategies for battle (and occasionally diplomacy), it frequently alludes to some kind of moral, chivalric code which its adherents are supposed to follow. Characters will frequently recite passages or rules from it when faced with some dangerous situation or conundrum. A RulesLawyer may insist on "sticking to the code" no matter what happens, while a MilitaryMaverick is more likely to shout "screw the code!" and do things his/her own way. The book in question is usually Sun Tzu's ''Art of War''.

* The Dicta Boelcke by Oswald Boelcke is a list of fundamental aerial maneuvers of aerial combat that still has baring in areiel combat today. Not around quite as long as TheArtOfWar but pretty good considering it has existed since just after the beginning of aerial combat.

** The Bro Code has been published.

** 1. Pillage, THEN burn. ([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20030308.html 1]], [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20040404.html 2]], [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20040722.html 3]])

** 3. [[OhCrap An ordnance technician at a dead run]] outranks ''everybody''. ([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20091101.html 1]])
** 4. Close air support covereth a multitude of sins. ([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20080415.html 1]])

** 8. [[DeadpanSnarker Mockery and derision have their place.]] Usually, it's on the other side of the airlock.([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20021121.html 1]])

** 10. Sometimes the only way out is through the hull. ([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20090117.html 1]])

** 36. When the going gets tough, the tough call for close air support. ([[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20031002.html 1]])

* ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' has the Pirates' Code as an actual (old and dusty) book. It's so big it takes two men to carry it to the table. Historically, there ''was'' a pirates' code, but it varied from ship to ship and was (as the first movie pointed out) more a set of guidelines. Most codes consisted of fewer than a dozen rules each, and many overlapped, with still others contradicting the codes of other ships. Needless to say, it never existed in book form. Obviously, the giant tome rolled out on Shipwreck Island was a few pages of rules, amended with a few thousand pages of revisions, squabbling, and {{natter}}.
** [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Sounds]] [[TVTropesWiki suspiciously]] [[SelfDemonstratingArticle familiar.]]

* The infamous ''Ferengi Rules of Acquisition'' from (primarily) [[StarTrek Deep Space Nine]], as well as other StarTrek sources. It's a combination of a business guide and religious text from which the Ferengi derive business and financial advice. I would quote some here, but I'm sure Grand Nagus Zek would charge me for reproducing the material here. While the list has been quoted extensively, one adage at a time, not all of the rules have been listed, nor has comprehensive listing ever been published, leaving the rules in this category.

** Don't forget Machiavelli's ''ThePrince'', which covers military strategy as it pertains to ruling monarchs, and his ''Discourses on Livy'', which devotes the second of its three sections chiefly to conducting war as a republic (with a whole section on siege engines, as I recall). And his ''Art of War'' (yes, he wrote one, too), which goes into rather more detail on war and tactics, which unfortunately failed when put into practice.

** Something similar happened with Starfleet's General Orders. Various General Orders were mentioned in the series and films, and many have been compiled together in online list. General Order 1 is, of course, the PrimeDirective.

*The [[strike: Code]] Rites of Kanly, governing warfare in the ''{{Dune}}'' universe.
** [[{{XKCD}} Someone is wrong on the internet!]]

* No love for the Hitchhiker's Guide? Perfect example of this trope.