Tao Manor - Bookshelf

Tao Te Ching translations:

The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary, by Ellen M. Chen

This is my favorite, because she has really great commentaries and identifies recurring Chinese terms in the text for easier comparisons.

Tao Te Ching: A New English Version, by Stephen Mitchell

I use this one some times because his is a very poetic translation, though his Buddhist bias comes out in some of the interpretations.

Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way, by Ursula K. Le Guin

A very modern accessible translation by the famous science fiction author.

Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tsu, translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English

A popular, excellent translation with both the poetic sensibility and the strong Taoist influence.

The Way of Life According to Lao Tzu, translated by Witter Bynner

An older style, poetic, very free translation.

The Gate of All Marvelous Things: A Guide to Reading the Tao Te Ching, by Gregory Richter

Great for understanding the subtleties of the Chinese concepts, it includes the Chinese characters, the pinyin transliteration, an English translation of the character, and then a gloss of each line in English.

The Tao Speaks: Lao-Tzu's Whispers of Wisdom, by Brian Bruta, illustrated by Tsai Chih Chung

The 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching in comic strip form.

Chuang Tzu translations:

The Book of Chuang Tzu: A New, complete translation of the classic Taoist text, by Martin Palmer with Elizabeth Breuilly

This is my favorite, because it is more complete than some translations, and the prose flows well, and footnotes are sparing but sufficient.

The Way of Chuang Tzu, by Thomas Merton

A nice introduction to Chuang Tzu. It's written as a series of parables, and it doesn't include all the stories, so it is good light inspirational reading.

Zhuangzi Speaks: The Music of Nature, by Brian Bruta, illustrated by Tsai Chih Chung

Many of the more famous parables from Chuang Tzu in comic strip form with the Chinese text in the margins.

Sun Tzu translations:

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary

"The Art of War" is actually a very short essay, but many translators include lots of historical notes and commentaries to make it book length. Thankfully, Cleary keeps the translation open and well organized, with each of the commentors given names and following Sun Tzu's words.

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, new translation by Ralph D. Sawyer

This translation goes into lots of historical background with diagrams, if you like that sort of thing. 160 pages of it before we hear directly from Sun Tzu!

I Ching translations:

The I Ching Workbook, by R. L. Wing

This is a great resource for using the I Ching as a divination tool. It's comb-bound to lie flat, and everything is laid out very neatly and clearly.

The Living I Ching: Using Ancient Chinese Wisdom to Shape Your Life, by Deng Ming-Dao

I have lots of reasons to like this translation (and only one of them is that he is my master and I contributed to the editing!). It is still laid out for divination, but this is the only translation that gives such a nice context that it feels like reading a story.

The Taoist I Ching, translated by Thomas Cleary

Again there is good and bad with Cleary's work. The Buddhist bias here is less pronounced than in his Tao Te Ching, and the layout is very clear. Not as friendly toward divination, but possible.

I Ching: The Classic Chinese Oracle of Change, translated by Rudolf Ritsema and Stephen Karcher

A beautiful two-color really complete translation with an extremely useful concordance. More for scholars than diviners.

Understanding the I Ching, by Tom Riseman

A minimalist translation very oriented toward divination.

An Illuminated I Ching, by Judy Fox, Karen Hughes, John Tampion

This takes a Christian style (the hexagrams are illuminated as was done in some early Bibles) and provides an adequate guide for divination.

Other ancient texts:

Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living, by Eva Wong

A 4th century BCE work by the teacher Lieh-tzu. After the three main texts of philosophical Taoism (I Ching, Tao Te Ching, and Chuang Tzu) it is the next most popular. Mostly parables in the same style as Chuang Tzu.

Wen-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries, by Lao-tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary

A similarly ancient text attributed to a disciple of Lao Tzu. In 180 chapters similar to the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu talks in greater detail about cultivating Tao.

Hua Hu Ching: The Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu, by Brian Walker

An oral tradition from Master Ni Hua-Ching that is claimed to date back to the time of Lao Tzu. This translation has 81 chapters similar in style and length to Mitchell's Tao Te Ching.

Ling Ch'i Ching: A Classic Chinese Oracle, translated by Ralph D. Sawyer and Mei-chun Lee Sawyer

An alternate divination tool to the I Ching that also uses the trigrams.

Understanding Reality: A Taoist Alchemical Classic, by Chang Po-tuan, translated by Thomas Cleary

An 11th century alchemical Taoist teacher talks about improving vitality.

Awakening to the Tao, by Liu I-Ming, translated by Thomas Cleary

An 1816 work by a Chinese adept writes about cultivating Tao. Some times his metaphors are a bit bizarre, but the teachings are sound.

Overviews:

The Shambhala Guide to Taoism, by Eva Wong

A very complete historical summary of various Taoist branches, including alchemical, religious, and philosophical Taoism

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism, by Brandon Toropov and Chad Hansen

A very accessible history and compendium of information on Taoism, though because published in 2002, many of the Internet resources are outdated.

Taoism: The Parting of the Way, by Holmes Welch

Welch's 1957 survey of Taoism covers history and details of various branches of Taoism in a very clear and fascinating style.

Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life, by Deng Ming-dao

A nicely illustrated guide to alchemical and philosophical Taoist principles for modern practitioners, including qigong and herbal supplements.