The Taoist Classics, Volume 2: The Collected Translations of Thomas Cleary (Taoist Classics (Shambhala))
It sometimes seems that Cleary translates esoteric texts from several different non-Western languages at a faster rate than many of us can read them in English. For more than 20 years, Cleary, who has a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Literature from Harvard, has worked independently, translating 50-plus Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, and Islamic texts. These two volumes are the first of four projected volumes of Taoist classics and introduce a larger series of Cleary's collected translations. If these indicate what is to come, the remainder of the series should be eagerly awaited. Because he is unaffiliated with any academic institution, Cleary's accuracy has been questioned from time to time, and he has been faulted for not including the footnotes and textual apparatus that usually accompany such works. For most readers, though, having these texts available in consistent versions and with enough explanatory material to place them in context far outweighs any deficiencies scholars might find. Of the two volumes here, the first presents more obscure texts and gives a much fuller picture of the scope and nature of Taoism and its relation to Confucianism and Buddhism in Chinese thought. Libraries unwilling to commit to the series might reasonably choose it as a single acquisition, but for the price, any library would benefit from having both volumes. Highly recommended for academic libraries and appropriate public library collections.-Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NYCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.