The Inner Chapters is a beautiful new translation and commentary on one of the best known and loved Taoist texts. Chuang Tzu stands alongside Lao Tzu (author of the Tao Te Ching) as a founding father of Taoism, and The Inner Chapters date to the 4th century BC. The book is full of fantastic tales: of a gigantic fish that becomes a bird; a magical being who lives in the mountains and rides on cloud carts pulled by dragons; a student of Confucius who attains the great learning of ‘sitting and forgetting’; and many more. Interspersed with these stories is advice and guidance on every aspect of life – including death. Solala Towler’s presentation shows Chuang Tzu’s writings are not only deeply spiritual and wise, championing our right to live our own lives in a simple, straightforward fashion, but also full of puns, riddles and outright jokes. The photographs, many of which are Solala Towler’s own, capture the atmosphere of the peacefulness and tranquillity of ancient China as perceivedin Zen.

192pp, 195mm x 275mm, illus. in b&w, softback, 2010