The Book of Tea (Version 2): Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Book of Tea (Version 2), credited to Kakuzō Okakura, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Book of Tea (Version 2) by Kakuzō Okakura. Read in English by Clive Catterall. The Book of Tea is as much about philosophy, religion and art as it is about a drink made with dried leaves in boiling water. It traces the development of tea into teaism. The author’s first paragraph summarizes the whole book: “Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of aestheticism--Teaism. Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life.” The author shows that the philosophy of Teaism, which was developed from Japanese Zen Buddhist teachings, actually has deeper roots in Chinese Confucianism and Taoism as well. After its publication in 1906 The Book of Tea provided a window into Japanese culture, and furthered a better understanding and appreciation of the philosophy behind minimalism in Japanese art, architecture, design and living. (Summary by CliveCatterall)

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Book of Tea (Version 2)
• Author credits: Kakuzō Okakura
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 7
• Listed recording duration: 2:08:46

Catalogue topics

• philosophy
• zen
• teaism

Track guide

1. 01 - Chapter 1 - The Cup of Humanity — 17:35
2. 02 - Chapter 2 - The Schools of Tea — 17:58
3. 03 - Chapter 3 - Taoism and Zennism — 22:04
4. 04 - Chapter 4 - The Tea Room — 23:54
5. 05 - Chapter 5 - Art Appreciation — 15:50
6. 06 - Chapter 6 - Flowers — 22:06
7. 07 - Chapter 7 - Tea Masters — 9:19

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.