Remembering translator Thomas Cleary

Thomas Cleary, a quietly prolific translator who brought the classics of ancient Chinese thought into Americans’ book bags, briefcases, scholarship and life practice, has died.

Because of Cleary, many more of us are familiar with “The Art of War,” compiled more than two millennia ago by a warrior-philosopher named Sun Tzu and studied by military leaders and strategists — and people just trying to manage. We know far more about the

Tao Te Ching, the I Ching: The Book of Change, the Samurai code, and more.

“‘The Art of War,’ ” Cleary wrote in one preface, “applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.”

All told, he published more than 80 books, translating and introducing works from Chinese, Japanese, Sanskrit, Pali, Bengali, Arabic and Old Irish, his publisher said.

Shambhala Publications’ president, Nikko Odiseos, told The New York Times, “The languages and texts Cleary translated from are filled with terms and concepts for which there are simply no equivalents in English, and he was a master of presenting these multilayered concepts concisely but completely, in beautiful and clear prose and verse.”

Thomas Cleary was 72.

Shipping crunch: “Truck driver shortages, widespread port congestion, and skyrocketing container costs” are main issues facing the book supply chain into 2022, said panelists on a Book Industry Study Group webinar. One said the problems could worsen as more buying shifts online and more packages need to ship to homes. Another said she doesn’t see container costs ever falling to pre-pandemic levels. (Publishers Weekly)

Reopening rule: Penguin Random House will open its offices in September to vaccinated staff who want to return, its CEO said. Visitors, too, must be fully vaccinated. (Publishers Weekly)