The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui [Hardcover]

Lillian Too (Author)

Book Description

Series: Illustrated Encyclopedia | Publication Date: November 4, 1999

This is a reference book on the subject of Feng Shui, showing the reader how to use the principles and techniques of this 4000-year-old science to foster good health, improve relationships and attract prosperity in all areas of life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Feng shui is an ancient Asian art that revolves around object placement in the home, garden, and workplace. In fact, feng shui specialists claim that the flow of chi (or energy) in the environment can directly affect our health, relationships, career, and even our checkbooks. Even toilet placement can affect the happiness of a marriage or the luck of young children. "In feng shui, chi is viewed as the ever-present force that circulates and moves in the environment," writes author Lillian Too. "...and wherever chi settles it brings a special kind of energy that attracts good fortune."

Written as a lively, comprehensive guide to feng shui, this 360-page book is full of practical suggestions, stunning line drawings, lavish photographs, and just about everything you'd ever want to know about this age-old Chinese art form. The eight-part encyclopedia covers topics as diverse as "Using Mirrors to Deflect Bad Energy," "Overcoming Bad Feng Shui When Traveling," and "Good Feng Shui Trees." It also includes a thorough feng shui dictionary. Even if this all sounds like mumbo-jumbo superstition, it still makes a fascinating coffee-table book. (Just be sure to place it next to a succulent potted jade plant to ensure prosperity!) --Gail Hudson

From Library Journal

Feng shui, defined by Too as the philosophy of "arranging a living environment where...energies are in complete harmonious balance," continues to interest interior designers. Beginning with a detailed explanation of the history and principles of feng shui, she discusses its use in the home, garden, and business environments and in personal life and concludes with a glossary of terms. Color photographs illustrate this book, which is similar to Rossbach's Feng Shui Design (LJ 1/99). Rossbach's newest book is an expanded edition of her first work, which is considered a classic. This update includes a new section on color and some new illustrations. Rossbach's is an excellent purchase for any sized library, while Too's should be purchased if there is a strong interest in this subject.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 359 pages
• Publisher: Element Books Ltd. (November 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862045968
• ISBN-13: 978-1862045965
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,074,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The bottom line of Feng Shui, June 24, 2003

By 

Sergio Armendariz (Tecate, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui (Hardcover)

The bottom line of Feng Shui
Time ago I decided to select and buy the 5 best Feng Shui books I was able to find, after several months of research (I had already bought another 5).
Maybe the best books on the subject are those in the realm of the so-called "traditional Feng Shui" (that is: F.S. using a compass, your birth date, the date of construction of your home, and some complex formulas to arrive to conclusions about the effects of your home over specific areas of your life). On the other side, "Western Feng Shui", in general, ignores the compass and takes the entry door of the home as the base for any further analysis, and uses mirrors, wind chimes and other cures to fix any existing problem. (Of course these are crude descriptions, F.S. goes far beyond this!!)

In this book, Lilian Too includes all her knlowledge on Feng Shui, based in what her experience has shown to be effective. I must stress this: based ONLY in what her long experience in F.S. has proved to be EFFECTIVE. And the result is a mixture of formulas and procedures from Traditional Feng Shui (mostly) and some "cures" and "boosters" that you will find also in "Western" F.S.".

Well, the point is that at the end, I found myself using this book more and more than any other I have. The reason? It simply works, and works in the deep and in the simple. So I left the deep T.F.S. literature for later, Western F.S. was absorbed in a couple of evenings, and in the meantime I'm using, applying and enjoying what this book shows, more than any other I've found.

Now I have some mixed comments:
-Lilian has written specific F.S. books (F.S. for love. F.S. for success, F.S. for the home, for the garden, etc. etc.) in those books she makes a complete analysis of every subject, but you can find the bottom line in this book. You might not need anything else (at least for a while). People buying these specific books may sense that they include almost the same information...

-The book has many illustrations and tables that make reading easy.
-I was not only amazed, but SCARED when I applied the "flying star formula" to several homes of people I know, it described circumnstances you thought were simply natural, but at the end seemed to be an effect of the kind of plan and location of things there.
-In some instances, it explains very easily with pictures, principles from traditional F.S. that I found hard to retain in memory when reading other books

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly informative, a great reference book, February 9, 2000

By 

Jonathan Richards (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui (Hardcover)

I strongly disagree with the comments by Kathy Ross and Jeff Derek. This is not just a repackage job with nothing new. It is necessary to some repeated information, such as the three classical formulas (i.e. Eight Mansions, Flying Star, Eight Aspirations) but it provides a lot of NEW insights into the subject as well. I have bought a lot of Lillian Too's other books, and this one is no different, it keeps you reading from start to end, and because it is an encyclopedia, it is a great reference manual for dates and formulas. It covers all the Classical Feng Shui Schools and pulls them together in a comprehensive manner. A joy to read and a joy to own.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an amazingly awesome and complete reference book !, February 11, 2000

By 

marcel bertels (Nepal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Feng Shui (Hardcover)

This is TRULY a book I cannot do without, and it reminds me again what a great writer and generous individual, Lillian Too is. I have no hesitation in recomending this easy to understand and well laid out book. Feng Shui for Modern Living magazine calls it a "tour de force" and I fully concur. DEFINITELY A MUST for any feng shui practitioner or enthisiast - beginner, intermediate and advanced.