[.uk] Classic Bonsai of Japan (ISBN 0870119338)

Book Description:
Enter the fascinating world of bonsai, the centuries-old gardening art form of cultivating trees as potted plants. Refined to a high art in Japan, bonsai offers not only the familiar gardening delights but also, at its highest levels, a philosophical and aesthetic communion with nature. Here in CLASSIC BONSAI OF JAPAN, the Nippon Bonsai Association, Japan's preeminent voice of the bonsai tradition, introduces a collection of the finest bonsai pieces to be found in Japan today-some of them presented to a Western audience for the first time. Over 130 fullcolor and 48 black-and-white plates of priceless specimens with informative commentary provide a definitive tour of the bonsai worldfrom a 15-year-old flowering cherry to a majestic 1,000-year-old Yezo spruce. The notes for each piece offer insights into the balance, style, harmony, and overall aesthetic effect along with comments on the history of its cultivation at the hands of several generations of bonsai masters. John Bester brings his intimate knowledge of Japanese culture and sensibility to an elegant interpretation of bonsai art specifically adapted to Western readers. Essays on appreciation, history, and aesthetics further invite readers to enjoy this "natural" art on an informed level. A feast for the eyes as well as a lasting monument to the history of an artistic tradition, this deluxe volume is sure to delight the bonsai enthusiast, garden hobbyist, lover of things Japanese-indeed anyone with an interest in looking at art and nature in unison.

spectacular large format color photographs:
Incredible masterpieces of Bonsai, most many hundreds of years old, are displayed in exquisite high-resolution photographs. This book is well worth the money for those seeking to study the world's finest examples of this living art form. An well-written and insightful historical survey is included.

Well worth the price:
For all bonsai lovers, this book is a must-have! The pictures are the most beautiful you'll ever see, with amazing and rare specimens.

Classic Bonsai of Japan:
An Informative and visually stunning text. This is not just a pretty book. Much can be learned from the subtitles for the bonsai enthusiast and casual browser alike.

Classic Bonsai of Japan:
Wow! This is what a Bonsai book should look like! The photos are superb. The story on each tree is very helpful I didn't even mind that they were in the back. I could more of this type of book because the photos were high enough quality to be able to see forms. Anyone interested in seeing quality trees should own this.

A very good book:
This book has many great pictures to give the beginners inspirations to pursue this great hobby.