This translation of the Daodejing includes,Original translation of canonical textFull and original annotations on meaning and contextHistorical and contextual introduction and appendixThe Daodejing, or Canon of Ways and Their Influences, is one of the world's most translated books. It has been consistently influential in China since its appearance some time before 300 BCE, and has long been a favourite of Western readers on the prowl for tasty tidbits of "Eastern Wisdom.

"Unfortunately, many translators have mischaracterized and mangled the text in a Procrustean attempt to fit it to their own definitions of "wisdom," with results that have ranged from the overly imaginative to the completely insane. This translation, from a previously unpublished manuscript, treats the work as a strictly political treatise, an attempt to solve the most important question of its time, how to restore the unity and health of Chinese society.

The attempt was a failure, and the Canon of Ways and Their Influences was adopted and adapted for other uses in later ages, first in China and later abroad, but without understanding the origins of the book, its later uses lack context. .