Best 10 Tai Chi Books Ever Written

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WHAT ARE THE BEST BOOKS EVER ON TAI CHI ?

 Students always ask me: What are the best books ever written on tai Chi? However, there are so many different styles and teaching methods in Tai Chi, it is difficult to give specific titles.  However, I am going to try with this list of the best books on Tai Chi for the curious practitioner. 
The best way to do this is to offer you books that transmit a flavour rather than a specific set of techniques or instructions (though I have included one or two worthy exceptions).
So here is the teapotmOnk’s list of the Best 10 Books (in the known Universe) that savour this flavour. As I have been requested, I have now added a section on the best versions of the Tao Te Ching and a couple of excellent books on Taoism too.  Finally, I threw in a couple that defied categories but still added something valuable to this collection. Enjoy and let me know if you have a favourite that I have missed out.  

A Note on Buying Books: 
If you can, always buy a paperback direct from the publisher or try and purchase the ebook from the author’s own site. Buy a paperback from Amazon and the Amazon gets the lion's share. Buy it from the publisher or authors website (where possible) and your money goes to the author.  Where I can, I’ve added links to publishers, otherwise there are the inevitable associate links to Amazon (gotta pay the bills). It is also worth remembering to scout around second hand bookshops or try platforms like SCRIBD  as not all books are still in print). ​

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​5 TAI CHI BOOKS THAT TEACH SOMETHING USEFUL

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1: Tai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions. Douglas Wile
FACTUAL: The book that has inspired many a historian of Chinese Martial Arts, Wile begins by explaining that there are no real secrets (something echoed below by Lowenthal) and that much of what we swallow as accepted martial arts history is in fact just the personal accounts of individuals or schools with their own specific agenda. Excellent read and a book you will come back to again and again. ​

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2: There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man Ch'ing and His T'ai Chi Chuan. Wolfe Lowenthal
ANECDOTAL: This book (by an ex-student of Man Ching) delves into great detail of the man who - perhaps more than any others - introduced Tai Chi to a non Chinese audience. Fascinating anecdotes, from the 60's/70's, plus insights into practice as well as juicy bites of wisdom - the most apt being the title of the book itself. Worth remembering when looking for a teacher or school of Tai Chi.

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3: Embrace Tiger Return to Mountain: by Chungliang Al Huang
PERSONAL: Okay, this is somewhat of a Hippy 70's interpretation of the art and does has some rather embarrassing photos, but despite the clothes and the 70's speak, it reads like a breath of fresh air in comparison to all those geometric obsessive instruction manuals that deliver little other than angles and weight percentages. Al Huang worked alongside Alan Watts and you'll sense that influence in his words and approach to teaching. 

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4: The Manual of Bean Curd Boxing: Paul Read
PERSONAL: Most books on Tai Chi contain a high percentage of no-sense, thinly disguised as "eastern" wisdom or mystical sage-like secret transmissions. This book makes no claim to any of that nonsense, instead it simply asks why we practice this art in the 21st century and what can we expect to gain from doing so. Irreverent in way that a Taoist Art ought to be. Find out more about the Manual of Bean Curd Boxing here.

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5: Tai Chi Ch'uan: The Technique of Power. ​Horwitz, Tem and Kimmelman
INTRODUCTION: Dismissed as too general by the dogmatic Taoists, this book features as it serves as an all-round useful introduction to Tai Chi. It not only includes a little history, philosophy and even photos (too many and rather meaningless for me), but also attempts to relate the principles of the art to other disciplines -  and in so doing -  bring the practice up to date. Few books try, even fewer succeed.  ​

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BONUS BOOK: BEGINNERS GUIDE TO THE TAI CHI FORMThe Beginners Guide to the Tai Chi Form: Paul Read
I mentioned before that there are a few books that try to teach the basics of the Tai Chi Form, without falling into the trap of promoting a single school or style.  And ok, yes it's another book of mine, but it does what it says on the box: A dozen of the most popular postures broken down, taught step-by-step and  -  if desired - linked to an online home study course.  More on the Beginners Guide to the Tai Chi Form Course and Book here. ​

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The 3 Best Versions of Tao Te Ching (that Make Sense)

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Unlike most versions of the Tao Te Ching that spend three-quarters of the book attempting to justify the interpretation of a single character or accent, these three versions interpret with a real flavour for a contemporary audience. In so doing they create something of real and practical value. ​

John Lash: The Tai Chi Journey
Lash attempts - and I believe in a great many ways succeeds - to interpret the Tao Te Ching  for the benefit of the Tai Chi student. Apart from being easy to read, you can plunge in at almost any part and still find something thoughtful and well presented. This book is Ideal if you are a student of Tai Chi and  find the average Tao Te Ching just too vague.
Not available in digital form. ​You'll have to dig around to see if you can find a paperback somewhere. 

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Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching - Ursula K. Le Guin
“To believe that our beliefs are permanent truths which encompass reality is a sad arrogance. To let go of that belief is to find safety.”
A very personal and libertarian interpretation for all those that aren't satisfied with the esoteric versions that abound. Le Guin brings a fresh perspective, and, at last, redefines the Sage as a wise one pertaining to no specific gender (well overdue, and something most "Gurus" still fail to recognise).

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Getting Right with the Tao: Ron Hogan
"Stop doing stuff all the time and watch what happens".
​Finally, to close up this section, Ron Hogan's now radical, contemporary and no non-sense version of the Tao Te Ching. Find out more about Getting Right with the Tao here at his book page. An essential part of anyones library. Want a taster in an audio and visual form? Watch the mini video over here.

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The ​2 best books on Taoism (that Don't rely on Mysticism)

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The Way and Its Power: Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought 
Although this is another version of the Tao Te Ching, the first half of the book includes an excellent historical context for Taoism. Not a light read before bed, nor a gripping mystery page-turner, it is however,  still a useful addition to a trainee immortal's library. ​

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John Blofeld; Taoism A Quest for Immortality
This is the classic book that sparked the interest of many in the lesser known philosophical roots of Tai Chi (and for me, acts as the key reference text for my online Tai chi course: The Complete Tai Chi Course. Blofeld writes with simplicity, great insight and manages to avoid reducing the whole subject to simple "wishful thinking". His writing is engaging and above all, his messages come across as relevant today as at any time in the long history of this art. 
Unfortunately, Out of Print and not available in digital form. Try and find a 2nd Hand.

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2 Books to change the way you think

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One Last Thing: A Time-Travellers Guide to Taoism, Martial Arts and 21st Century Thinking: Paul Read
"Impudent, cheeky, saucy, and beautifully –wonderfully –insanely irreverent! I love this book for all the reasons I love rock-n-roll, American muscle-cars, and 1970's Shaw Brothers martial arts flicks. Reading this book, you'll be stained by its wisdom!
 - Anthony Guilbert, author of 'Notes From The Drift'.
If a mix of martial arts philosophy, the history of productivity and creativity, Taoism, comedy and time-travel attract you  - then you may want to step out of your comfort zone to taste the most eccentric book on Tai Chi ever written: One Last Thing is available here. ​

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The Path: Michael Puett
If none of the above appeal and you'd really prefer something more, lets say...broad, you might enjoy this take on Eastern philosophy called The Path by Michael Puett.
​It's accessible, full of fine examples and doesn't confine itself to the same list of characters. Here you will meet Confucius and Mencius amongst others, offering insights I had previously overlooked ( I love the chapter on Goodness).  ​​

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 Well thats my list. It could have gone on and on, and in fact I do have a longer list on goodreads, but these are the core books I come back to over and over again. Have I missed out something essential? Let me know what you think should also be on the list.
​Finally, if you are looking for an altogether guru-free list, one to enjoy over a freshly brewed tea: check out my Gumroad collection of books -   the best teapot top 10 books on all things Taoist

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The Teapotmonk teaches Tai Chi through his Online Classes and his books . You can reach the home of the teapot at teapotmonk.com