From what literary work was the old saying, "For the want of a nail, the kingdom was lost."?
by 
Egao No Genki
ANSWERS: 5
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002
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My Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes says this about it: "The full grown version of this rhyme, now bringing wisdom to nursery warriors, appears to be comparitively recent. The first three lines, however, may be seen in the 17th Century and The Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs compares them with a sentiment in John Gower's Confessio Amantis (c.1390)." It then traces similar lines through the years and says that its "sentiment was formalised" by 1640 in Herbert's Outlandish Proverbs. So it has had a long evolution as opposed to being the work of an individual.
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*answer removed* (being negged to death!)
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For the want of a nail, a shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For the want of a horse, the rider was lost. For the want of a rider, the battle was lost. For the want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. author unknown
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First reference to the poem in "print" was from John Gower in 1390. After that it has a varied history cumulating in the first "modern" publishing of a variation in Ben Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanack" in 1758. It has been the basis of many songs and novels since. The Science Fiction community has embraced the main concept of the poem in hundreds of works. There it is known by the, currently fahionable, term, "The Butterfly Effect." Hope this helps.
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