Tao Te Ching

A New Translation

Author Lao Tzu
Translated by William Scott Wilson
Look inside
Paperback
$17.95 US
On sale Jul 30, 2013 | 256 Pages | 9781611800777

See Additional Formats
The classic Taoist text freshly translated using the original Chinese script from Lao Tzu’s time, and beautifully illustrated with seventeenth-century artwork.

Renowned translator William Scott Wilson has rendered Lao Tzu’s classic in the most authentic way possible, using both the ancient text and the even older Great Seal script used during Lao Tzu’s time. The result is a new and nuanced translation, accompanied by Chinese ink paintings and fascinating ancillary material. Wilson includes an introduction that tells the story of Lao Tzu, the “old man” and the “keeper of the archives,” and notes to illuminate the text. He also includes two short essays--one explains the relationship between Taoism and Zen, and the other explores the roots that link the spiritual aspects of the Tao with the practice of Chinese and Japanese martial arts. Wilson’s version of this ancient classic is wonderfully fresh and readable.
WILLIAM SCOTT WILSON is the foremost translator into English of traditional Japanese texts on samurai culture. He received BA degrees from Dartmouth College and the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, and an MA in Japanese literary studies from the University of Washington. His best-selling translations include Hagakure, The Book of Five Rings, The Unfettered Mind, Taiko, and Ideals of the Samurai. He is also the author of The Lone Samurai, a biography of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi.

About

The classic Taoist text freshly translated using the original Chinese script from Lao Tzu’s time, and beautifully illustrated with seventeenth-century artwork.

Renowned translator William Scott Wilson has rendered Lao Tzu’s classic in the most authentic way possible, using both the ancient text and the even older Great Seal script used during Lao Tzu’s time. The result is a new and nuanced translation, accompanied by Chinese ink paintings and fascinating ancillary material. Wilson includes an introduction that tells the story of Lao Tzu, the “old man” and the “keeper of the archives,” and notes to illuminate the text. He also includes two short essays--one explains the relationship between Taoism and Zen, and the other explores the roots that link the spiritual aspects of the Tao with the practice of Chinese and Japanese martial arts. Wilson’s version of this ancient classic is wonderfully fresh and readable.

Author

WILLIAM SCOTT WILSON is the foremost translator into English of traditional Japanese texts on samurai culture. He received BA degrees from Dartmouth College and the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, and an MA in Japanese literary studies from the University of Washington. His best-selling translations include Hagakure, The Book of Five Rings, The Unfettered Mind, Taiko, and Ideals of the Samurai. He is also the author of The Lone Samurai, a biography of the legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi.

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more