Description: In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in east central China: written on strips of bamboo that had miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the "Guodian Laozi" is by far the earliest version of the Tao Te Ching ever unearthed. Observers of ancient Chinese civilization proclaimed the text a decisive breakthrough in the understanding of the Tao Te Ching: its finding was the most conclusive indication to date that the text was the work of multiple authors and editors over centuries, rather than the achievement of one writer during the time of Confucius.

An esteemed authority on ancient Chinese culture who has one best-selling translation of the Tao Te Ching already to his credit, Robert Henricks now presents the first English translation of this "bamboo slip Laozi". Differing substantially from any other known version, this newly uncovered text greatly illuminates the mystery of how and when this most important Chinese text came into being.

Here are just a few of the noteworthy features of this new Tao Te Ching:
-- A lucid introduction to the Guodian Laozi, offering background on the archaeological interpretation of the discovery
-- Line-by-line comparisons of the Guodian Laozi against the Mawangdui and Wang Bi editions
-- Extensive notes on each chapter describing the unique elements of the Guodian Laozi in comparison with other versions
-- Transcriptions for each chapter, noting both the ancient and modern forms of the characters in each chapter
-- An appendix featuring the official biography of Laozi written by Sima Qian, the Grand Historian of China, as well as Henricks's commentary and notes on this biography

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