On War

Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, who spent much of his career fighting against Napoleon, wrote most of On War after the Napoleonic Wars and died before finishing his revisions; his wife, Marie von Brühl, edited and published it. Rather than strict operational rules, he sought general principles drawn from history and logical thinking. He argued that friction, the incalculable events that undo detailed plans, limits planning, while the fog of war forces commanders to decide quickly on incomplete information. He analyzed conflict through purpose, goal and means, holding that war is the continuation of policy by other means. Napoleon and Frederick the Great are prominent among its many historical examples. The original German title is Vom Kriege.

Tools of Titans reports that Reid Hoffman read Clausewitz as a boy and that it informed his strategic thinking. Ryan Holiday listed it in 24 Books To Hone Your Strategic Mind, with the caveat that its wisdom is hard to separate from its era of warfare.