Renowned translator William Scott Wilson has rendered Lao Tzu’s spiritual and philosophical classic in the most authentic way possible, using both the ancient text from 200 BCE and characters from the even older Great Seal script used during Lao Tzu’s time. By accessing these earlier characters, Wilson is able to offer a text that is more authentic in language and nuance, while also preserving the poetry of the work.

This translation is accompanied by exquisite seventeenth-century Chinese ink paintings and two short essays: one exploring the relationship between Taoism and Zen, and the other explaining the roots that link the spiritual aspects of the Tao to the practice of Chinese and Japanese martial arts.