In a remarkable podcast from 2012, Melvyn Bragg, Saul David, Sir Hew Strachan and Beatrice Heuser discuss On War, by the Prussian soldier and intellectual Carl von Clausewitz. First published in 1832, Clausewitz's magnum opus is commonly regarded as the most important book about military theory ever written. Informed by its author's experience of fighting against the mighty armies of Napoleon, the work looks not just at the practicalities of warfare, but offers a subtle philosophical analysis of the nature of war and its relationship with politics.

An invaluable 43 mins for the aspiring strategist.