Customer Reviews

Bonsai Master Class

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Superbly written with, what I believe to be, over a thousand images, this is the most comprehensively photographically intensive Bonsai Book in the world. Craig Coussins has written a number of very popular Bonsai Books and his books are indeed unlike most others. It's not about him but rather about Bonsai, Bonsai techniques, other teachers' demonstrations and that is why I love this book. Craig Coussins has traveled all over the globe teaching Bonsai and he has asked his many friends to share the platform of this book with him.
What you get is a very interesting assortment of wonderful Bonsai Masters showing you what it is that they do well. Clearly a lot of work has gone into this book and the breadth of knowledge in this book is simply vast. It's not too technical which is a relief but a book written with passion, presented with gusto and read with love. His last book started this broad attitude to discovering knowledge but if it was not for the author I doubt that many of us would have had the chance to meet so many wonderful teachers.
I am sure that Mr. Coussins has very little Ego or we not have seen such a publication. He is clearly an ardent promoter of other Bonsai Masters while being one himself. Now that really is refreshing. Visit the masters from Singapore, South Africa, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, America and Canada through Craig Coussins photography of stunning bonsai and landscapes from all these and so many more countries where you can find Bonsai. I love it. I visited his website and that was another revelation. I loved that too.

I was hoping for more from the book and was disappointed. There is a lot of general information. I have mostly deciduous trees and there wasn't that much information on it. I had to return the book.
For advanced level, I recommend the Bonsai with Japanese Maples. It gives way more detail and how to information. Thanx!

While this book has a lot of great information about bonsai and good photos the editing of the photos make it hard to follow the progress of the trees in many cases. The photos seem to be out of order and they are shown in reverse negative so the trees are first on the right side of the pot then on the left side in the sequence. I still appreciate the volume of work and the effort to bring this to print. I just wish the editor liked the subject enough to care about the finished book. I would not recommed this book to the beginner or anyone who doesn't understand basic photography.

Very well written. Good information in the book and all the gorgeous pictures makes it a great book.

This book gives good points on bonsai plants. It is good for the beginner and the advanced grower as well. I enjoyed it and found it to be not only interesting but very informative as well.

This book is intimidating for a student of bonsai because the information is advanced and the trees are difficult to achieve. This information, though, is also inspiring and wonderful to learn about!

A review of this book is somewhat difficult. Mainly, I enjoyed it, if anything, for the book's bonsai photo series. All photos are glossy, although most of the showcased bonsai are are not full or half page images. The quality of print, mostly, makes up for this, but there are many shots of trees that are difficult to examine in detail due to their small(picture)size.
The information Craig provides on inorganic/organic soil mixtures, and types of various fired clay used by the Japanese, such as Akadama, Kanuma, Kiryu, are helpful, and mainly accurate, e.g. Akadama is used for feeder root development, Kanuma is used for acid loving bonsai, and Kiryu is good for conifers. PH levels are included for each, as different varietals demand different PH levels from the acidic to the alkaline.
Craig also goes into repotting basics, watering, and, in great detail, nutrient requirements for bonsai. In this, he does a thorough job. He also touches on fertlizing, the influx and remedy for pests, and pruning briefly. He goes into more detail with technical wiring and branch ramification, although in this, it is obvious that he is not a proficient technician.
Craig touches on the various classical styles of bonsai, such as literati, han kengai, informal upright, etc. and offers personal insights on alternatives to raffia(which in his case is vet tape)and tools; from hand tools to power tools e.g. scorps and Arbortech power chisels, pro grinders, and mini grinders. He also describes the makings of shari, jin, uro, and provides step by step pictorials on how to achieve the aforementioned.
This book also goes into great detail about Penjing, which means landscape scenery in Chinese(which may or may not involve bonsai)in contrast to 'Penzai' which the Japanese term 'Bonsai' is derived from mispronounciation. He also goes into brief detail about Suiseki, which is stone appreciation, as well as manufacturing hand-made daizas or display stands molded to the set of the stone.
Again, briefly, he touches on tokonoma, which are alcoves that display a single bonsai with accompaniments(such as herb accents and scrolls)as well as various types of ancient alcoves, such as Tsukeshoin, and hondoko. Suffice it to say that Craig is prolific by way of scope if not always in detail.
The great thing about this book is that he travels from Africa to Utah, and seemingly every place in between, to show us bonsai that others have created. Some of these bonsai are beautiful and well crafted indeed.
However, what I didn't like about this book, is the fact that nearly everyone is a 'master' to Craig. This was hardly the case. Kunio Kobayashi is a master, yes. John Naka is a master, yes. Masahiko Kimura is a master, yes. But 99% of all those Craig considers to be 'masters' are intermediate technicians at best. That said, just by reading this book, you get the sense that Craig is a sincerely humble enthusiast. Because of this, it makes the book seem more...friendly and fun to read.
The bottom line is this: Craig's knowledge on the care, needs, and maintenance of bonsai is masterful. However, Craig is not a master technician. 99% of his finished projects are at their very best, the work of a novice-intermediate technician. You'll realize this when you see his work. This is not to put Craig down, because he seems like a very nice person, and since I have never met him, you can see that by the above statement, this book is truly friendly, fun, and full of knowledge...just not a master bonsai stylist/technician's knowledge.
Having read the book long ago in its entirety, I still refer back to it from time to time, honestly, for the photos. Craig will take you around the world, and you will have a great traveling companion in him. I recommend this book for beginners to intermediate level enthusiasts. The quality of the binding and photos alone is worth the purchase price. However, for master bonsai technicians, this book is not for you. But for the rest of us, it's a great find.