[.uk] Ikebana: Japanese Flower Arranging for Today's Interior (ISBN 0847824942)

Beautiful Photos:
I bought this book for the pleasure of viewing, rather than of flower-arranging. The book does a very concise explaining of What is ikebana? and of The Techniques. The picture instructions are simple and easy to follow. What I love most about the book is the careful and thoughtful planning and presentation of ikebana through the seasons. I've compared this book to other books at the bookstore, and this by far the only one that lived up to the philosophy and practice of Japanese aesthetics. From what I've read on Zen and its philosophy, there is a concept of "ma" and "wa" - one of which is about enough "blank space" around the art form, that helps the eye to appreciate the quality and beauty of lines / texture / forms / space. This book complies to that philosophy. I am pleased with the quality of paper, and the general layout of the photos, and there is enough text to support each selected flower-arrangement which is helpful to someone who does not know much about the specific aesthetic discipline that is ikebana. Thanks. (On a minor note, the book I bought was printed in 2003, and the cover is different from what is shown on Amazon.com)

As easy as 1, 2, 3:
I bought this book because I love having flowers in my home, but I'm not very good at arranging them. I also bought the book because I like the spareness, the openness of Ikebana. What I especially like about this book is its simple illustrations that explain the various concepts, and that are easy to follow. I also like that it presents arrangements for each of the seasons. This book has definitely been worth the money. I highly recommend it!

Fantastic way to begin!:
This book is outstanding! It makes this beautiful art accessible to everyone. I have used it to introduce Ikebana to my students. If I were to own only one book on Ikebana, this would be it!

By far the best Ikebana book.:
I bought a few of these as gifts. Makes a great coffee table book. This book exceeded my expectations.

Beautiful Presentation and Great Gift:
I purchased this book as a gift for someone who recently returned from a trip to Japan. The book is absolutely beautiful and for those interested in Japanese Flower Arranging, this is one of the greatest books available for high quality color photos of some lovely interiors. Great book for the decorator looking for ideas in a Japanese theme setting.