i've read numerous translations of the tao, and this is by far the worst. you should only buy this if you have a supremely short attention span. sure, it's eminently readable, and the words flow nicely, but once you're done, everything will have dissapeared without a trace. call me demanding, but i like a philosophical text to actually make me think. this is just shallow happy-clappy feelgood stuff. for people more serious about it, i recommend red pine's translation.