Yet another translation of the Tao Te Ching would seem unnecessary, but this new one has considerably more depth than other recent efforts. It incorporates material from newly discovered texts and examines critically both the variant readings of the several source texts and past translations of the often cryptic original. Following each chapter with a detailed analysis, and offering an extensive glossary and bibliography, it discusses authorship, date, and purpose of the Tao Te Ching. The overall thrust is to depict this work as a unified religious document, a guide to re-integrating the social with the natural that is worthy of modern study. In fact, Chen initially intended to call her book The Idea of Peace in Classical Taoism. For serious readers of Chinese religion and philosophy.
- Donald J. Pearce, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Duluth