James Trapp – författare

If you’re born in the Chinese year of the Rat, what are your characteristics? With whom is someone born in the year of the Ox most compatible? And what are the worst flaws associated with your Chinese star sign? Chinese Astrology is a beautifully illustrated guide with easy-to-use instructions to help you understand the fundamental ideas and determine the more advanced aspects: how does the year of your birth affect your personality? What elements are associated with your horoscope? What celebrities are the same Zodiac animal as you? Each page includes a newly commissioned artwork of a Chinese character, from the 12 animals of the Zodiac and the 12 Earthly Branches to the five phases and 10 Heavenly Stems. This is accompanied by an explanation of each character and its significance within Chinese astrology. Illustrated with more than 85 specially commissioned artworks, Chinese Astrology is the perfect guide to your inner and outer life.

The elegant pen-strokes and visual harmony of Chinese writing, known as hànzì, have long been admired in the west. Classical Chinese calligraphy is a popular and valuable art form, and with the increasing economic and cultural power of China, its writing is becoming more widely appreciated and understood. In particular, the deep layers of history and symbolism which exist behind even the most everyday character have a strong appeal to those seeking understanding from an alternative philosophy.   Chinese Characters: The Art of Hànzì  features the most interesting of the three to four thousand characters are needed to write modern Chinese. Characters expressing concepts such as love, peace, respect and happiness are reproduced in a large format, enabling the reader to trace, scan or photocopy them for transfer to any other medium. Alongside the character is an accessible and inspiring explanation of how the character developed, what the particular strokes symbolize, and its various different meanings.

Written in the 6th century BCE, Sun Tzu's The Art of War is still used as a book of military strategy today, as well as being extremely popular among politicians. Napoleon, Mae Zedong and Douglas MacArthur all claimed to have drawn inspiration from it. And beyond the world of war, modern-era business and management gurus have also applied Sun Tzu's ideas to politics and corporate strategy.In this Chinese-bound journal, each spread page has ample space for your thoughts and notes, and features a key, insightful quote from Sun Tsu's famous and much-read work.The book is robust enough to be unpacked and repacked. You could fill the pages of this journal while sitting on a mountaintop, on a railway platform, in your office lunch hour or in the privacy of your own home. Beautifully made with traditional Chinese bookbinding techniques, this is more than a hardwearing book. It is something exquisite to be cherished.The Art of War Journal is the perfect place for you to record your thoughts - and be inspired by ancient Chinese military wisdom.

The elegant pen-strokes and visual harmony of Chinese writing have long been admired in the west. Classical Chinese calligraphy is a popular and valuable art form, and with the increasing economic and cultural power of China, its writing is becoming more widely appreciated and understood. In particular, the deep layers of history and symbolism which exist behind even the most everyday phrases have a strong appeal to those seeking understanding from an alternative philosophy. The sayings known as Cheng-yu, represented by four characters, are used frequently in Chinese. They are comparable to proverbs or idioms in English, but each adds a depth of meaning and linguistic colour very unlike their English equivalents. Many are rooted in ancient Chinese culture, and make oblique references to poetry, philosophy or history. Four characters may take a whole paragraph to explain, yet, to a native speaker brought up and educated in the traditions to which they refer, they are instantly comprehensible. Chinese Proverbs Illustrated: The Wisdom of Cheng-Yu features a selection of the most famous and most interesting of the more than 5000 Cheng-yu. Alongside the phrase is an accessible and inspiring explanation, its literal translation in English, what the particular strokes symbolize, and its various uses, as well as over 75 images to complement the text.

Ancient Chinese culture has a been a rich source of wisdom for many millennia. Chinese Wisdom provides a concise insight into the ideas of great Chinese thinkers, arranged thematically. Living in the 5th century BCE, great teacher Confucius laid the foundations for an outlook and way of life that focused on correct behaviour, humaneness and respect for one’s elders, precepts that are deeply embedded across East Asian countries to this day. His disciple, Meng Ke, outlined new ideas for rulers which provided the basis of Chinese political culture for many centuries afterwards. Laozi, the founder of Taoism and author of the Tao Te Ching, wrote about the Tao, or the Way – the correct way of living attainable to all and which links all things. Sun Tzu’s Art of War provides advice on how to overcome and outwit an opponent (the basic tenets of which are often applied to business strategy today), while Zhu Xi taught the advantages of meditation as a method for self-knowledge and self-cultivation. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Chinese Wisdom offers more than 80 succinct quotes from Chinese thinkers through the ages, on topics as wide- ranging as filial piety, love, clear thinking, work, business, war and family.

'If their encampment seems open to attack, then it is a trap.' – Sun Tzu You don’t have to be a soldier to seek wisdom from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. This classic Chinese text is commonly applied today to corporate strategy and used by anyone who thinks that daily life – whether that’s dealing with your boss, a salesperson, your landlord – can be a battle. In the introduction, translator James Trapp outlines the life and times of Sun Tzu, and examines the enduring significance of his wisdom. Beautifully produced in traditional Chinese binding, Art of War Wisdom offers more than 80 succinct quotes from Sun Tzu, on such topics as laying plans, attacking by stratagem, weaponry, terrain and the use of spies.