Peter Taylor 
thirty-six stratagems 

Approximately three-hundred years ago an unknown scholar compiled The Thirty-Six Stratagems, a strangely seductive meditation on deception. The stratagems to be used depend on whether you are currently winning or losing your particular battle. However, the stratagems can be combined in various ways as they are not intended to be used alone, nor are they only applicable in purely a winning or purely a losing situation!So how can the complex three-hundred-year-old ideas of an unknown Chinese scholar provide help with the strategic challenges we face today? In this brilliant interpretation Peter Taylor transforms this ancient text into a practical guide for the twenty-first century business executive or politician. Here the timeless wisdom in The Thirty-Six Stratagems is brought to life through modern business case studies. In this interpretation readers discover how to: Kill with a borrowed knife; Defeat the enemy by capturing its chief; Feign madness but keep their balance; Let the enemy’s own spy sow discord in the enemy camp; Inflict injury on themselves to win the enemy’s trust. Taylor’s handy, authentic, realistic approach shows how we can defeat the opponents we face in our business and personal lives. But beware, there is no ‘win win’ scenario: in The Thirty-Six Stratagems winner takes all!