Encyclopedia of Taoism (2 Volume Set) [Hardcover]

Fabrizio Pregadio (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0700712003 | ISBN-13: 978-0700712007 | Publication Date: January 10, 2008

The Encyclopedia of Taoism provides comprehensive coverage of Taoist religion, thought and history, reflecting the current state of Taoist scholarship. Taoist studies have progressed beyond any expectation in recent years. Researchers in a number of languages have investigated topics virtually unknown only a few years previously, while others have surveyed for the first time textual, doctrinal and ritual corpora. The Encyclopedia presents the full gamut of this new research.

The work contains approximately 1,750 entries, which fall into the following broad categories: surveys of general topics; schools and traditions; persons; texts; terms; deities; immortals; temples and other sacred sites. Terms are given in their original characters, transliterated and translated. Entries are thoroughly cross-referenced and, in addition, 'see also' listings are given at the foot of many entries. Attached to each entry are references taking the reader to a master bibliography at the end of the work. There is chronology of Taoism and the whole is thoroughly indexed.

There is no reference work comparable to the Encyclopedia of Taoism in scope and focus. Authored by an international body of experts, the Encyclopedia will be an essential addition to libraries serving students and scholars in the fields of religious studies, philosophy and religion, and Asian history and culture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1551 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (January 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700712003
• ISBN-13: 978-0700712007
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.1 x 3.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,592,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fabrizio Pregadio has taught at the University of Venice (1996-97), the Technical University of Berlin (1998-2001), Stanford University (2001-08), and McGill University in Montreal (2009-10). He is the author of "Great Clarity: Daoism and Alchemy in Early Medieval China" (Stanford University Press, 2006) and the editor of "The Encyclopedia of Taoism" (Routledge, 2008). His translations of Taoist texts include the "Wuzhen pian" (Awakening to Reality, 2009) and the "Cantong qi" (The Seal of the Unity of the Three, 2011), both published by Golden Elixir Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I did not have the same problem, February 5, 2009

By 

Anonymous (Yardley, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Taoism (2 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

I did not have the same problem as the other reviewer. The item information clearly says "2 Volume Set" on this page, and when it arrived today, it came as two shrink-wrapped volumes.

The entries are lucid and authoritative, written by some of the best scholars in Taoist studies today, but I find that occasionally the contributors are unaware of developments outside their field. The entry on Guangcheng zi, for example, should have discussed the Warring-States manuscript "Rongcheng zi" (now housed in the Shanghai Museum) and its possible relevance.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic find!, June 26, 2011

By 

Imios Archangelis "Imios" (Zhong He) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Taoism (2 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic resource of information about Taoism. It is by far the most complete overview of the texts of Taoist canon I found and the unique contribution to the field.

It has been a pleasure and a true mystical experience to browse through the notes from many great Tao practitioners during thousands of years. Even though there are no full original texts, only brief excerpts and translator comments, this book book still offers a beautiful high-level picture. I am deeply grateful to the authors for making this possible.

This encyclopedia helped me a lot to put my long time study of the translated and original Taoist works into the perspective and to cross-search for the sources of some difficult to find terms. Kindle edition of the book I got has some serious technical problems (e.g. a number of Chinese characters fully missing, automated flow reformatting makes some fragments of text very difficult to read etc.), but the search option and the material is just so invaluable, that I couldn't make myself to return the purchase.

I would really, really, really appreciate if Amazon upgrades Kindle software to support standard Unicode and PDF, as practically any other reader device does. However, these ebook glitches have very little to do with the monumental work of the series of authors, that put together this amazing resource. I am sure this encyclopedia will provide a great assistance to any serious scholar of practitioner of Taoism in many years to come.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful resource on Taoism for the intermediate student, December 4, 2010

By 

Michael Lavocah (Norwich, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Taoism (2 Volume Set) (Hardcover)

This mammoth two volume work is exactly what it says it is - an encyclopedia of Taoism. This is especially valuable because the Taoist Canon is still unavailable in English. Where texts are available, they can be hard to understand for anyone lacking a background in Taoist thought. As such, a reference work with an entry on almost everything I have searched for is of great value.

The contributors include most of the foremost names in Taoist scholarship, such as Livia Kohn, Catherine Despeux and Stephen Bokenkamp (but not Kristofer Schipper). I found that the entries that most interested me were often written by Monica Esposito.

This should not be the first book for anyone interested in Taoism, but for those who have read the Tao Te Ching, I Ching and Schipper's The Taoist Body, this is a good place to deepen your studies, even if like me you are a practitioner rather than a scholar.