Customer Reviews

The Art of Bonsai Design

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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.

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.

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!

great case study with a lot of suggestions and helping tips.

A Best bonsai book.
A Must read for anyone on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd stage of learning.
The author not only teaches by his mistakes but explains them.

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD AND TELL A DIFFERENT STORY FORM ALL THE BONSAI BOOKS

Colin Lewis' book is full of clearly written information on "how to do it" or "how not to do it". I have found all kinds of tidbits of info that will greatly enhance my own activities with bonsai. His material on mychorrizae is excellent.

In all, I guess I have found his writing style and his knowledge base combine to provide a book that I will return to often to direct my care and design of my trees. I find this book a real must for anyone beyond the beginners stage.

Por fin es posible ver un libro que nos explica de manera sencilla y profesional los trucos y pasos para crear bonsai como los maestros. Muy pocos libros nos dicen el qué y el cómo hacerlo.
Recomiendo ampliamente este espectacular libro. es algo totalmente diferente a los libros comunes. Solo para niveles intermedios a avanzados.