Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts

It's like sampling a buffet of different Taoist inner alchemical texts. Gives a very good broad overview of what the timeline of Neidan Texts consisted of and what the common message of continuity was between then all.

Great for identifying a topic rarely spoken of, but they lost me with the negative scare tactics

I an in no way an expert in Taoism though over the years I have reread the Daode Jing and a few other Taoist books. What seemed to set this book apart from other translations and commentaries is the obvious intellectual understanding the author has of the texts of inner alchemy that shows in its many footnotes and very studied choice of translation equivalents, but equally with the authors feel for the overall spiritual sense and appreciation of the texts themselves. As I progressed through the book I certainly began to deepen my understanding of the words and symbols that had changing meanings over the centuries I certainly plan to reread and reflect on this book and no doubt will have further insights. My hope is the author or one of his students under his direction continues to translate more texts and perhaps even to translate some of the texts that were partially translated in their entirety. Highly recommend to anyone with a sincere interest in Taoism from a beginner to more advanced students.

I was only looking for one book in this anthology, reviews for other translations of that book led me to Pregadio's, and it's superbly done. His detailed footnotes and cross-referencing to other texts, many of which are in the anthology, are super helpful and make for clear reading. It's a lot of information and the experience reminds me of reading Cortazar's Hopscotch, lots of flipping back and forth through the book. If you're into Taoist/Jungian rabbit holes, look no further.

I have enjoyed reading many of Dr. Pregadio’s publications. Taoist Internal Alchemy: An Anthology of Neidan Texts is a wonderful translation of various Taoist nèi dān internal alchemy texts. This is a wonderful scholarly text and can be easily used in an academic setting studying Taoist inner alchemy. I agree with Elijah that this is book is not really a book for beginners. This text is better suited for those who have at least a basic understanding of Taoist internal alchemy. The commentary along with the footnotes gives the reader an understanding of what is being said.