The Art of Bonsai Design [Hardcover]

Colin Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2001

It's all about the design of these tiny and magnificent specimens. The result of years of dedication to an ancient craft, this fascinating volume offers inspiration, encouragement, and practical advice. The author profiles 15 of his own bonsai creations--elms, junipers, pines, and larch--in fascinating narrative and glorious full-color photographs taken over a period of many years. As you enjoy the stories of how each bonsai was shaped, you'll obtain valuable advice on design, pruning, and bonsai care, and you will learn from the lessons of the many mistakes made along the way. Beginners to the art of bonsai will be delighted to see how even the most bizarre first attempts can eventually become exquisite bonsai. Those with more experience will find new ideas and perhaps even the motivation to explore the art form's creative potential in greater depth.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Colin Lewis has been working with Bonsai for over 30 years. What started as a childhood interest has become a passion. Colin is also the author of Step-by-Step Guide to Growning & Displaying Bonsai published in 1973. He lives in West Byfleet, Surrey, with his wife and three children. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806971371
• ISBN-13: 978-0806971377
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,292,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Bonsai Design, January 29, 2006

By 

Dave Bockman (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Bonsai Design (Hardcover)

Beginning with Peter Adams, the United Kingdom has since the early 1960s produced a steady stream of notable bonsai artists and authors. To this collection of talent one must surely include Colin Lewis, author of nine books on the subject of bonsai, The Art of Bonsai Design being his most recent and most enjoyable effort.

Of the books in English that purport to be comprehensive tomes on the subject of bonsai, scant few are actually worthy of that label. Realistically, no single book could ever cover every aspect of such a complex art. Rather than fall short of that impossible task, the author instead addresses four of the most popular temperate climate species used in bonsai--elm, juniper, pine, and larch. Each of these species is discussed from the general to the specific, always using the author's trees as visual case histories showing the entire refinement process. Included are numerous sidebars discussing peripheral topics related to the species at hand. Framing these chapters are essays on bonsai as an art form in the West and other tangential subjects; information Mr. Lewis has gleaned during his decades of experience. For our benefit and without guile, Mr. Lewis has written a highly informative, entertaining and valuable book.

What makes this book unique is the author's unflinching-some might say even cheerful-examination of his mistakes and misfortunes as he describes the theory and practice of bonsai refinement, using his own trees as visual examples. It is really quite heartening to see how time, careful attention, and of course the artist's eye can raise the level of quality in the trees pictured from their humble beginnings as mere average quality cuttings and collected stock to such high levels of refinement and understated beauty. Herein lies the charm of Mr. Lewis' book: Almost without exception the trees are his from inception to present. Of course, when the author gets his hands on more highly refined trees and stock, the results are equally pleasing.

Throughout the book Mr. Lewis drops amusing anecdotes, hints and insights, and perceptive observations about his travails as a bonsai beginner, his techniques to speed the refinement process, and bonsai's unique position straddling horticulture and art. His grasp of bonsai as expressed through the vernacular of Western art makes for clear, easy to understand instructions and advice. Mr. Lewis has what this reviewer would label an `international' design style that transcends the classical Japanese mode in favor of respecting a bonsai's origin and potential for refinement. Overall, this reviewer found him to be self-effacing yet eminently qualified to share his wealth of information on the subject of bonsai.

The Art of Bonsai Design is probably not the best book for a rank beginner, as the most basic information is absent in favor of more advanced styling ideas, projects, and techniques. For those bonsai enthusiasts with a good working knowledge of the fundamentals of bonsai, The Art of Bonsai Design will prove to be a valuable and oft-referenced addition to their libraries.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Bonsai Design by Colin Lewis, December 10, 2002

By 

"rolandg484" (Branford, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Bonsai Design (Hardcover)

Excellent Book for the more advanced Bonsai enthusiast.

As opposed to many entry-level books describing Bonsai species and their care, this book is organized around case studies.
The author expects the reader to know the basics of Bonsai and takes you from there...

I particularly liked the case study based on an Elm stump collected in the wild.

Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Art of Bonsai Design, April 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Bonsai Design (Hardcover)

When I first saw Colin's work on this book, I was in awe. He is one of the few and true developers of occidental bonsai design. The photos are great and the text is easy to follow. I would recommend it as an intermediate book. Go ahead and buy it!