Poor on several levels - Rated 
The inclusion of detailed commentary on the meaning on each of the 81 chapters of the original text is a good idea, but let down by having to flick from the main text to the notes at the back of the book all the time. It makes reading the book very cumbersome on a purely physical level. Putting the notes on the facing page to the original text would have made both elements of the book much more accessible.
The alternation between masculine and feminine terminology for the Master is not clever, only distracting.
Mitchell says he has completed a fourteen year course in Zen training - so why then does he overlay this fine Toaist text with Christian terminology? It might not be so bad if he confined this to his personal notes but including phrases like "saints and sinners" in the translation of the original Chinese is dumbfounding in the context of his apparent personal exposure to Zen training. It put me off completely and I didn't make it beyond chapter 5.
If you are looking for a Christian interpretation of this ancient text then you might like this version, but I think you would then be missing the point. I am now searching for an English translation of the Tao Te Ching which uses language true to its heritage.
Hold on to the center. - Rated 
I can't judge this book good or bad, it's meaning is way beyond these polar opposites. Words are just signposts, they point somewhere else. I don't really care how close this translation is to the original text, I have found it to be very transformative, it has gem-like lucidity.
I purchased Stephen Mitchell's translation as it was recommended by Eckhart Tolle. Incidentally, I have found that by reading The Power Of Now first has made the Tao Te Ching resonate with much more power. Had I attempted it in reverse I think this book would have been quite meaningless.
An accessible book - Rated
I have read one other translation of this book (the name escapes me) and found this one to be very accessible in comparison. I am not interested in scholarly comparisons, but to me the feeling of what The Tao is about came across very strongly in this book, to the extent that I don't feel the urge to read a different translation.
good but... - Rated 
A good and eye opening read, but it's important to note that this was writen years ago, and has been translated aswell. This means that the book shouldn't be taken word for word, as much that was common then dosen't apply now. All that said it's an interesting read and gives a new way of looking at the world. Just don't take it to the point of mania.
This is not a translation, but a personal interpretation. - Rated 
This is not a translation so much as a series of musings based on Paul Carus's literal version and the translations of others. Stephen Mitchell lacks the clarity and perceptiveness of Arthur Waley, the simple elegance of Jane English and Gia-Fu Feng, the scholasticism of D C Lau, and the current relevance of Robert Henricks. His main innovation is in attempting to resolve the 'male bias' he perceives in Lao Tzu by using such techniques as "The Master can keep giving because there is no end to her wealth" (ch 77). However Ursula Le Guin handles the gender issue far more successfully in keeping to the spirit of the original Chinese character by making the central figure neither male nor female (rather than alternating between the two). Although Stephen Mitchell draws heavily on his experience of various religions (he has written books on both Buddhism and the Old Testament), his commentaries fall far short of Lao Tzu's own sparkling humorous 'sharp but not cutting' observations on the eternal Way which can not be talked about.
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