From: The Historian | Date: June 22, 1999| Author: Xiaogan, Liu | COPYRIGHT 1999 Phi Alpha Theta, History Honor Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Taoism: Growth of a Religion. By Isabelle Robinet. Translated by Phyllis Brooks. (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. Pp. xx, 296. $39.50.)

This is the first English volume to be dedicated to a general survey of the origination and transformation of Taoism. It is successful as both a comprehensive and succinct introduction to the major lines of doctrinal evolution of Taoism.

The eight chapters of the book may be briefly categorized into four periods. I...