The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu [Paperback]

Lao Tzu (Author), Brian Browne Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1996

The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu is one of the most widely read and deeply cherished books in the world, a work many consider the wisest book ever written. In his introduction, translator Brian Browne Walker says, "It is less a book than a living, breathing angel."

In his new translation, Walker stays close to the direct literal accuracy of the Chinese characters while producing a modern, exceptionally clear version that has the ring and voice of Lao Tzu, a man who may or may not have been a single individual. "I have come to think of Lao Tzu less as a man who once lived," Walker writes, "and more as a song that plays, eternal and abiding."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Browne Walker has been a student of Chinese and Taoist philosophy for many years now. He has translated the Hua Hu Ching and the I Ching and has written The Crazy Dog Guide to Lifetime Happiness and The Crazy Dog Guide to Happier Work. He lives with his daughter in Boulder, Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (November 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312147449
• ISBN-13: 978-0312147440
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > I Ching
  • #31 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Tao Te Ching
  • #69 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Taoism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brightest and most beautiful, February 6, 1999

By 

J O Holloway ([e-mail]) (Niles, Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu (Paperback)

Walker's version of the Tao Te Ching is by far the most beautiful and has (at least, for me) the clearest and deepest meaning. This is the the book that has taught me the most about the tao; this is the translation from which I read to my son. I hope you read it.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Translation Of The Tao Te Ching To Read While Enduring A Life Crisis, July 11, 2005

By 

Albion Guppy "Cloudy Mountain" (Northern Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu (Paperback)

This may sound like a silly or a comical name for a review of a book that I consider to be the best translation of the TTC to read while going through the dark times in one's life.

But I found Brian Browne Walker's translation of the Tao te Ching while going through a really bad divorce, multiple surgeries, and an all around crappy time in my life.

And it spoke to me, as if ole Laozi was there beside me, reading it to me himself.

While I study Red Pine's translation of the TTC much of the time now, I have a really special place in my heart for Mr. Walker's translation.

It's written by a man who KNOWS disaster, and devastation, and a man who has also walked through it all to the other side, and out of the shadows, and into the light of a life, well lived.

Walker translates the Tao te Ching with PASSION, and as other reviewers also mention, with clarity.

If you are going through a hard time in your own life, I encourage you to buy a copy of Brian Browne Walker's translation of the TTC, and let it speak to YOU, just as it did, and STILL DOES, to ME.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars filled with clarity and wisdom, February 9, 2004

By 

Marco V. Parayno (norwalk, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu (Paperback)

i had read many translations of the tao te ching and i'm happy to say that mr. walker's version is readable, smooth and filled clarity. it is a good translation because he explained the tao te ching without sounding so cryptic. instead, he explained with great clarity that even a five year old kid will appreciate. again, i recommend this translation and thanks, mr. walker.