The Taoist Classics, Volume One: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary

This is probably the best value in the recent Cleary Collected Volumes for someone interested in Eastern Philosophy (especially Taoism) or even philosophy in general, given how accessible it is. A better title would have been "Sourcebook in Taoist Philosophy". That's really what it is.The only major Taoist texts of particular interest to Westerners that Cleary translated but not in this volume are  The Art of War (debatably more a book by a Taoist than about Taoism) and "Secret of the Golden Flower" (popularized in the West by Jung's commentary and foreword to an edition by another translator -  The Secret of the Golden Flower: A Chinese Book of Life ). Conveniently, "Secret of the Golden Flower" is available in the The Taoist Classics: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary, Vol. 3 , also recommended (though the selections in that volume are significantly narrower in scope than this one and you may want to review it firstSo in this volume you recieve Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu (most of it, somewhat abridged), and the Wen Tzu (worth the price of the set since this is the only major translation I'm aware of), The Book of leadership and Strategy (which is composed of excerpts from the Huainanzi), and Sex, Health and Long Life (a collection of 5 texts from the Mawangdui finds of 1973-74). The first 3 are the nuts and bolts of Taoism. The first two are philosophical classics. The Wen-tzu is considered a classic of Taoism and has been quite influential in Chinese thought. Its synthesis of Taoism, Confucianism and Legalism is of considerable interest as it essentially concretizes Taoism into practice. The last two books in the volume may interest those with more specific interests.As usual for Cleary, the footnotes and scholarly apparatus are fairly terrible and some of Cleary's comments in the Tao te Ching seem to say more about his brand of secular humanism than Taoism, but it doesn't matter all that much. Unlike the major Buddhist texts in another volume I reviewed, the major Taoists wrote in an extremely clear and straight-forward way, obviating the need for much of a scholarly apparatus - and making the absence of one borderline irrelevant.I have some minor caveats about the translations. The translations are fairly good but regarding the specific texts - there are superior translations avaliable for most of them. I'd say  The Book of Chuang Tzu (Penguin Classics)  is significantly superior since the Chuang Tzu here is abridged. At times Cleary seems to gloss the rampant humor in Chuang Tzu, too. His translation is somewhat overly literal and a tad awkward. I tend to prefer other translations of the Tao Te Ching but this one is quite good. There's a Huainanzi translation entitled  The Huainanzi: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Government in Early Han China (Translations from the Asian Classics)  coming out at the end of the month(Major, Queen, Meyer, Roth) which is likely quite superior, but I haven't had the chance to read a copy. At $70 and a 1000 pages, I probably won't purchase it either. I've heard good things about it, though.In short, an unqualified recommendation as an introductory and reference volume. For those interested in Taoism, the Wen-Tzu alone is worth the price of the volume. As usual with Cleary though, you may find it preferable to use other volumes for scholarship.

The price for this text is simply amazing considering the content. This is a great starter volume for anyone interested in learning more about Taoism. Cleary's translation is superb, and his commentary worth reading. Often translation of Chinese can be vague, especially with some of the characters having multiple meanings, but Cleary explains why he chose particular English words for the translation. The overall style he uses is very reminiscent of 19th century American and British language, but it suits the text well. Too modern of wording can cause the message to lose some meaning. With Cleary's translation, the English wording used often conveys a sense of the complexity of the message contained within a particular verse.The included writings:*Tao Te Ching - Cleary's translation with additional commentary. This is the most important section of this text. The Tao Te Ching is the foundation with which all other Taoist writings and principals are based. The translation conveys the sense of the Tao being greater than what mere words can describe, and it is the best translation in my humble opinion.*Chuang-tzu - A fun and enlightening collection of anecdotes and legends such as the bird with a thousand mile wing span and such.*Wen-tzu - Probably the second most important collection of Taoist writings. This is one of the main reasons I purchased this text was for the inclusion of these writings in one volume with the Tao Te Ching.*The Book of Leadership and Strategy - a useful addition of Chinese Taoist principals for managing and leading others. Not a standout, but it's like a nice bonus addition.*Sex, Health, and Long Life - a very nice addition that teaches principals (not styles like the Kama-Sutra) of love, relationships, and sex. Well worth reading for anyone with a significant other.The price alone would have been justified with just the Tao Te Ching and the Wen-tzu. The addition of the other collections is just icing on the cake. For those who are genuinely interested in Taoism, or those with other beliefs who might just want to explore some zen philosophy, this is an amazing book to get started on the path and never ending journey towards enlightenment!

I loved this book. I thought it was great. The various texts were clearly written by people with a very deep understanding of the nature of reality. This is the first real Taoist book I ever read and it was a joy for me to discover. I think some people won't get as much out of it because they won't see to the depths of what is written; they may think instead that some of it has no meaning, as it is sometimes obscured in the difficulty of translating the nebulous concepts into words. Nonetheless, it does, and it's awesome. Review over.

So many times, a book is either too scholarly requiring a background in the field, or too elemental and not enough depth. The taoist classics translated by Thomas Cleary assist in understanding the wisdom and a jumping off place for personal application. It gives a perspective, knowing that often there is no English equivalent to the Chinese and often, the original manuscript refers to other eastern teachings and can have multiple levels of meaning and understanding. I appreciate that the author/translator allows for this, giving those of us with a language barrier a glimpse of the truths in these ancient works.

This product was a gift, and I have no first hand contact with it. Nevertheless, its recipient informed he of his complete satisfaction with its delivery and contents. I can rate it only less than perfect for the simple reason that I lack any first hand experience with the item I purchased for someone else. In no way is this rating intended to convey any dissatisfaction with the book whatsoever.

Très belle édition reliée, en excellent état, mais arrivé avec un mois de retard. Bon c'était la première leçon de Taoïsme: il faut apprendre à être patient ...et finalement, je suis très content ! (mais une étoile en moins pour le retard)