Shorter Notices
The Living Thoughts of Clausewitz. Presented by Lt.-Col. Joseph I. Greene, U.S.A. (Cassell. 3s. 6d.) IN his introduction to this book General Fuller rightly says that few readers can be expected to wade through the whole of Clausewitz's book On War. Here they will find a selection of passages chosen with the object of presenting the gist of Clausewitz's thopght in his own words. The translation used, as far as I have checked it, is the old one by Colonel Graham Ls-revised by Colonel Maude and not, as one might have expected in a book edited by an American, the new Jones translation. Unfortunately, too; the text is presented without the commentary needed to understand this difficult and somewhat obscure author. It might also be objected that the title begs a question ; what exactly is meant by calling Clausewitz's thoUghts " living "? Probably General Fuller puts his finger on the real im- portance of Clausewitz's work when he reminds us of its influence on the development of Prussianism and Nazism. He might- have also noted its influence on Communist political theory, for both Engels and Lenin were students and admirers of the Polish author.
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