Dao De Jing: "Making This Life Significant A Philosophical Translation

Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A.: Ballantine Books, 2002. Book. New. Quarter Cloth. First Edition. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. First edition, stated. First printing. Quarter cloth. 241 pp. Composed more than 2,000 years ago during a turbulent period of Chinese history, the Dao de jing set forth an alternative vision of reality in a world torn apart by violence and betrayal. Daoism, as this subtle but enduring philosophy came to be known, offers a view of reality grounded in a full understanding of the wonders hidden in the ordinary. This luminous translation by China scholars Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall is based on ancient bamboo scrolls recently discovered. Though attributed to Laozi, the Dao de jing is, in fact, of unknown authorship and may well have originated in an oral tradition four hundred years before the time of Christ. Ames and Hall provide the original Chinese texts and translate them into crisply chiseled English that reads like poetry. Each of the 81 brief chapters is followed by clear, thought-provoking commentary exploring the layers of meaning in the text. New in new dustjacket, mylar cover..