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1969 NYTimes review of Wilhelm/Baynes

IrfanK

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Trying to find something worth reading in the papers* today, and not much luck. So I ran "I Ching" through the NYTimes search engine and came up with this review of Wilhelm/Baynes from 1969. It may be behind a pay wall, but if you're a subscriber, it's quite good fun: the title, "The Thinking Man's Fortune Cookie," gives you a hint of the tone.

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/05/18/issue.html

*People laugh when I refer to "the papers." So be it.
 

Liselle

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Did the person who wrote it say whether he/she tried casting a reading?

I remember someone once linked to a Kirkus review of a particular Yijing translation/commentary. You could tell the reviewer had no clue about the Yijing and said some silly things as a result.

It seems like it'd be a strange task. The Yijing's not really written to be read, per se, so reviewing it as a regular book won't work very well, and if you also can't review it from a Yijing perspective, where does that leave you?
 

IrfanK

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He does talk to someone who used it frequently, and it gives a good and complete description of how to cast the coins, contemplating the question and so on. A lot of mention of Jung's foreword and his use of it, too.
 

dfreed

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Review looks pretty decent. What I really liked was the front page, and how - even 50+ years later - some things are not that much different:

Arabs attack an Israeli outpost; riots in Malaysia that are blamed on 'opposition parties' arrogantly provoking the 'Malay race"; the Justice Dept. and White House clash over the release of data; study finds state universities lag behind in enrollment of 'negros'; President Nixon observes troop on Armed Forces Day; US and Vietnam seek to align their policies and hold peace talks; and astronauts get ready for Apollo 10 moon orbiting mission.

If some of these were placed in our times - and we were hearing about them from 'alternative sources' we might read about the 'deep state' control of the Justice Dept. trying to undercut the president; or that the Apollo missions are all part of an elaborate hoax to try and hide the fact that the earth is flat - and both of these 'stories' are totally within the realm of possibility today - and believed by tens of millions.

D.
 
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