Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 Good Translation September 5, 2008
I did a lot of research ahead of time. I'm not an expert on Taoism or this book, but I do have a background in studying ancient works. Translation is very important.
One of the big reasons I bought this is because as I was reading the verses, I kept having "aha" moments. For whatever reason, this translation feels really clear to me, without losing the tone of the original, which I understand is a bit cryptic in places. I feel he deals well with the paradoxes, contradictions, and riddles. In my opinion, it's bad to over-explain things in a translation, because the reader doesn't have to wrestle with the text. And it's in wrestling with a text like this that it's possible to gain understand beyond the words themselves.
I also love that he goes word-for-word in the back and gives multiple meanings for the words. I don't know much about ancient Chinese, but it's exciting to me that I can get a sense of the broader meanings and associations of these words. That to me is important to a faithful translation in any language, especially ones that are so far away from my native culture and language.
Love it, but wish the paper were a little better. August 29, 2008
I love this book ... and this edition in particular especially so. My favorite points:
- the verbatim translation, very useful if you want to dig a little deeper
- the initial translation is very readable, and enjoyable.
- for the main text, there is a LOT of extra room on the pages for writing and notes. This is great for people like me who like to mark all over their books.
The *only* downside is that I wish the paper itself were a little higher quality. Other than that, I love it.
Perfect for the Beginner Tao Te Ching Reader July 21, 2008
Being a novice in the world of the Tao, I found this book to be incredibly valuable. The explanations in the beginning of the book are fascinating and the translation is beautiful. Adding the word for word section to the book has been very helpful as I have read other translations and paraphrases of the Tao Te Ching in understanding where others differ and how they got there. This is a must have book for anyone seriously interested in Chinese philosophy and spirituality.
Make your own translation-- this is a VERY handy tool! July 1, 2008
I don't think I would go so far as to call Jonathan Star's translation "definitive" (which is also a rather ironic presumption, considering this is the Daodejing we're talking about here!), however, the Verbatim Translation in the appendix is VERY handy if you are interested in exploring the Daodejing character by character.
Of course, this can also be a bit overwhelming, because it shows how much "wiggle room" there is in translating this peculiar text. Its easy to see why so many translations of it exist.
I am working on my own translation, though I do not actually know Chinese-- and so I find the appendix invaluable. For anyone interested in doing their own translation of the Daodejing (something I recommend anyone interested in Daoism, to put this in your own words), then this is a great resource.
 Disappointing June 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
At a superficial level, this book looks amazing; introductory notes, translation, verbatim translation, notes on the translations, a long commentary on the first verse, and a collection of early translations of the first verse.
After reading the introductory notes, I was looking forward to what promised to be a very beautiful and insightful translation. Unfortunately, I found this translation to be contradictory at times (as opposed to paradoxical; there is a difference!) and, quite frankly, dull. Most of the notes on the translation and commentary on Verse One seemed to push an alternative view to Tao as being the consciousness behind all human beings which is consistent with Hindu religion, NOT a Taoist philosophy. Indeed, the vast majority of the "notes" in this book are quotes taken from Hindu texts such as Bhagavad Gita, and rather than noting, for example, interesting parallels between the two, Star seems to suggest that Tao Te Ching supports the other texts, which is similar to how Blakney seemed to use his translation to support the Christian faith. Personally, I don't think this is appropriate.
As for the positives, this book is definitely value for money. It is nicely printed, and contains a large verbatim translation of each character in Tao Te Ching. While it would be foolish to think you could interpret your own meanings based on this system (as the blurb claims), it still is quite interesting to get an insight into how the various translations of Tao Te Ching may have developed. Unfortunately (for me anyway, although a lot of people seem to really dig this translation) the bad points outweigh the positives, and, to be honest, if this was the first translation of Tao Te Ching I had read, I would have been turned off.
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