Tao of Jeet Kune Do

Tao of Jeet Kune Do is a book by Bruce Lee about his approach to fighting, which he named Jeet Kune Do in 1967. It was published in English in 1975 by Ohara Publications, two years after Lee's death in 1973. Lee intended the book as a guide, not as instructions for learning martial arts. The text takes the form of a collection of thoughts and notes. Lee did not formally codify Jeet Kune Do. Earlier, in 1963, he had published the book Chinese Gung Fu. The core of the text was written in a single continuous session while Lee was recovering from a back injury in 1970. It is supplemented by scattered notes and ideas from later years. The book draws on Lee's personal library and acknowledges several sources. Among them are Edwin Haislet, the Castellos, Roger Crosnier, D. T. Suzuki and Eric Hoffer. Because Lee did not finish the manuscript, the form of the book was determined only afterwards by the posthumous editing of editors and his students.

Martial arts in this work

Origin

The core of the book took shape in 1970, when Lee was recovering from a back injury. He then wrote most of the text in a single continuous session, and scattered notes and ideas from later years were added to it. Lee drew on his personal library. Among the sources the book acknowledges are Edwin Haislet, the Castellos, Roger Crosnier, D. T. Suzuki and Eric Hoffer. Lee himself did not prepare the material for publication, because he died in 1973.

Authorship

The author of the text is Bruce Lee, but after his death the book was assembled from his notes by editors and his students. Sources differ on who led the editing. According to one, the chief editor was Gilbert L. Johnson, assisted by Linda Lee Cadwell and Dan Inosanto. Another source names only Linda Lee as editor. We have not been able to document the extent of each editor's interventions or how much the final arrangement differs from Lee's intentions.

People and martial arts

• Bruce LeeAuthor· Jeet Kune Do (real practitioner)
• Linda Lee CadwellEditor

Editions

• 1975 · EN · Tao of Jeet Kune Do · Ohara Publications · first edition