Tao Te Ching (Signet Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lao Tzu (Author), R. B. Blakney (Translator, Introduction), Richard John Lynn (Afterword)

Book Description

Series: Signet Classics | Publication Date: January 2, 2007

The essential, classic text of Taoism.

These 81 poems comprise an Eastern classic, the mystical and moral teachings of which have profoundly influenced the sacred scriptures of many religions.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics; 1st. edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451530403
• ISBN-13: 978-0451530400
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,580,515 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Perspective, February 16, 2008

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Scooby Dude - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Tao Te Ching (Signet Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

I own better than 30 translations of the Tao and this one is strangely in my top 5. There are several verses that are inferior than other translations, but there are a few that are far superior than most... and that is it's strength.

Do keep in mind that the book has Christian references intermittently throughout. I would recommend that you focus on the raw Tao verses and not the explanations and filler material. The Tao is meant to help gain control of your own thoughts, not to adopt someone else's.

Recommended.

2.0 out of 5 stars Handy Version To Own, April 10, 2008

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Stone Cold Nuts (Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tao Te Ching (Signet Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

As a Chinese linguist, I have to admire the effort that goes into taking ancient poetic texts and rendering them into something usable in English. I felt many stanzas were thought-provoking and the short explanatory blurbs on each poem were often useful. The introduction is archaic in style and difficult to digest (I think I nearly dozed off).

The great misperception of the Tao Te Ching may be found in Daoist efforts to apply it as a central theological work, on par with the Koran or Bible in importance. Truthfully, it was probably a treatise written primarily for kings and other leaders rather than the common man. Therefore, it arguably takes some level of conceit to assimilate and apply it for oneself.

2.0 out of 5 stars 2 stars, January 2, 2008

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iamhentaiman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tao Te Ching (Signet Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

Pretty cover, too christian-slanted. The man starts out the book with a quote from the bible.