Ancient, venerated, intentionally ambiguous, the Tao Te Ching—attributed to the venerated master Lao Tzu—has variously been seen as a religious text, a work of moral philosophy, a primer on leadership and strategy, and a manual on the art of living. This compact, beautifully presented edition includes both the English translation by Scottish sinologist and missionary James Legge and the original text in classical Chinese, illustrated throughout with masterpieces of brush painting from hand scrolls.