Kazuaki Tanahashi & Susan O'Leary

media release:  A beautifully curated presentation of the Thousand Character Essay, a masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy that has served as the art form's classic manual for over 1,400 years.

This translation of the Chinese poem the Thousand Character Essay, a handwriting and literacy primer that has been used in China for centuries, opens up this important text on Chinese brush calligraphy to English speaking readers.

In addition to the translation of the story, the book includes extensive essays and appendices detailing the history and cultural importance of the poem.

It also features a complete photographic representation of the Ogawa manuscript of the essay (100 ten-character panels showing both formal and cursive script). This book is the perfect companion to Tanahashi's The Heart of the Brush

About the authors: Kaz is a beloved Buddhist scholar, calligrapher and peace activist. Some of his books are The Heart Sutra, Moon in a Dewdrop, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Dogen's Complete Shobogenzo, The Heart of the Brush, Brushmind, and Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan.

Susan O'Leary is the author of several books, including Breath Taking, a book of poetry on the breath. Part of a team of writers and historians, she received the Independent Press Book of the Year Award for best book in education in 2009, for Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story.