by Cleary, Thomas.
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K. Carter
1.0 out of 5 stars horrible translationReviewed in the United States on October 25, 2018
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The translation makes no sense whatsoever. There are grammar errors throughout and the translator appears to have translated word for word with no consideration to making the end result readable or understandable.
Also, the book is incredibly tiny. Much smaller than any "pocket" book I've ever had before.
4 people found this helpful
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Laurence H. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic!Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019
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The “I Ching” is the most ancient Chinese classic.
The “I Ching” inspired Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching” and Sun Tzu’s “Art of War.”
Confucius, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs studied the “I Ching.”
The “I Ching” is worth reading and re-reading.
NOTE: This review is for “I Ching - The Book of Change,” translated by Thomas Cleary, ISBN 978-1-59030-403-7.
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Micster
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute tiny Little Book is Packed with Goodness and Wisdom.Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2017
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Lovely cute little I Ching Book. It's really small... perfect for a stocking stuffer or I Ching student traveler. I Ching divinations on the go you say? Why yes... of course. (Try on, I bet you make a new friend in 5 minutes.). This little guy is packed with info, and remember, you can NEVER have enough different books on the I Ching. ;-)
4 people found this helpful
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gnostix1
3.0 out of 5 stars "for the experienced user..."Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2011
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As others here note, this is a handy reference for the experienced user.
Top reviews from the United States
K. Carter
1.0 out of 5 stars horrible translationReviewed in the United States on October 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
The translation makes no sense whatsoever. There are grammar errors throughout and the translator appears to have translated word for word with no consideration to making the end result readable or understandable.
Also, the book is incredibly tiny. Much smaller than any "pocket" book I've ever had before.
4 people found this helpful
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Laurence H. Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic!Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
The “I Ching” is the most ancient Chinese classic.
The “I Ching” inspired Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching” and Sun Tzu’s “Art of War.”
Confucius, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs studied the “I Ching.”
The “I Ching” is worth reading and re-reading.
NOTE: This review is for “I Ching - The Book of Change,” translated by Thomas Cleary, ISBN 978-1-59030-403-7.
One person found this helpful
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Micster
5.0 out of 5 stars Cute tiny Little Book is Packed with Goodness and Wisdom.Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
Lovely cute little I Ching Book. It's really small... perfect for a stocking stuffer or I Ching student traveler. I Ching divinations on the go you say? Why yes... of course. (Try on, I bet you make a new friend in 5 minutes.). This little guy is packed with info, and remember, you can NEVER have enough different books on the I Ching. ;-)
4 people found this helpful
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gnostix1
3.0 out of 5 stars "for the experienced user..."Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2011
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As others here note, this is a handy reference for the experienced user.
Beginners would do better with Hilary Barrett, or perhaps R. L Wing or Carol Anthony (among others).
Shambhala shows a publication date of 1992; I suspect this is a much earlier work by Cleary, who's reputation rests on clear and accurate translation rather than poetic indulgence. The text here -- the source of which is never stated -- is rather clunky and obtuse, recounting the Confucian epigrammatic description, judgment, and image for each of the 64 hexagrams along with commentaries on the changing lines.
Shambhala shows a publication date of 1992; I suspect this is a much earlier work by Cleary, who's reputation rests on clear and accurate translation rather than poetic indulgence. The text here -- the source of which is never stated -- is rather clunky and obtuse, recounting the Confucian epigrammatic description, judgment, and image for each of the 64 hexagrams along with commentaries on the changing lines.
Those generally familiar with the I Ching will soon be at home with this bare-bones political manual stripped of Victorian-era sentimentality (via to Legge and Wilhelm) and pop-psychological/new age fluffiness (thanks to latter-day Jungians), and might gain some useful insights.
New users will be less than edified by commentaries such as "If you fasten something with the hide of a yellow ox, nothing can unloosen it."
The introductory text, though insightful, seems to be written for academics; the book ends with a "List of Hexagrams with their Primal Correlates and Structural Complements." What this means and why the reader should care is not explained.
In sum: It is indeed a handy pocket guide for those who (like me) cogitate on hexagrams and do an occasional cast throughout the day, and like to have a concise source-book on hand. Beginners would do well to build their libraries on more accessible texts before acquiring this one.
23 people found this helpful
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Hamza Philip
5.0 out of 5 stars Thomas Cleary does it again! Excellent edition of the Classic of Changes.Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2008
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I have the Hardcover edition of this edition of the I-Ching by Thomas Cleary, and for my purposes the edition works well, so I just purchased the Pocket Edition a few days ago. I also have Cleary's "The Taoist I-Ching" and "The I-Ching Mandalas", as well as the classic Wilhelm/Baynes/Jung edition.
This edition works well for me because 1) It includes a commentary by Confucius, and 2) I don't use the I-Ching for divination, but instead prefer to read the commentary for the hexagrams and work with the tri-grams.
The introductory text, though insightful, seems to be written for academics; the book ends with a "List of Hexagrams with their Primal Correlates and Structural Complements." What this means and why the reader should care is not explained.
In sum: It is indeed a handy pocket guide for those who (like me) cogitate on hexagrams and do an occasional cast throughout the day, and like to have a concise source-book on hand. Beginners would do well to build their libraries on more accessible texts before acquiring this one.
23 people found this helpful
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Hamza Philip
5.0 out of 5 stars Thomas Cleary does it again! Excellent edition of the Classic of Changes.Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2008
Verified Purchase
I have the Hardcover edition of this edition of the I-Ching by Thomas Cleary, and for my purposes the edition works well, so I just purchased the Pocket Edition a few days ago. I also have Cleary's "The Taoist I-Ching" and "The I-Ching Mandalas", as well as the classic Wilhelm/Baynes/Jung edition.
This edition works well for me because 1) It includes a commentary by Confucius, and 2) I don't use the I-Ching for divination, but instead prefer to read the commentary for the hexagrams and work with the tri-grams.
The Hardcover edition is fairly handy, while the pocket edition is good for keeping with oneself and when traveling.
I wouldn't recommend this edition to those who desire to learn to use the I-Ching for divination, but if one is already acquainted with the I-Ching, the pocket edition is quite handy. I wish Amazon and/or Shambhala would have done a better job of advertizing this edition of the I-Ching so that it would be purchased by the proper audience. Many who purchased this edition have written somewhat negative reviews because they were expecting something different. This is disappointing, because this book is better than the overall rating given by those who purchased this edition.
Although I wish Thomas Cleary would do a better job with providing references in his translations, I find the actual translations to be easy to understand. Therefore, even if I believe there is a better translation of a particular work, many times I will also purchase the Cleary translation.
Also, besides the editions of the I-Ching I mentioned above, I also recommend The Complete I-Ching by Taoist Master Alfred Huang, and for beginners, John Blofeld's book on the I-Ching.
4 people found this helpful
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I wouldn't recommend this edition to those who desire to learn to use the I-Ching for divination, but if one is already acquainted with the I-Ching, the pocket edition is quite handy. I wish Amazon and/or Shambhala would have done a better job of advertizing this edition of the I-Ching so that it would be purchased by the proper audience. Many who purchased this edition have written somewhat negative reviews because they were expecting something different. This is disappointing, because this book is better than the overall rating given by those who purchased this edition.
Although I wish Thomas Cleary would do a better job with providing references in his translations, I find the actual translations to be easy to understand. Therefore, even if I believe there is a better translation of a particular work, many times I will also purchase the Cleary translation.
Also, besides the editions of the I-Ching I mentioned above, I also recommend The Complete I-Ching by Taoist Master Alfred Huang, and for beginners, John Blofeld's book on the I-Ching.
4 people found this helpful
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