Infinite Spaces: The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden [Paperback]

Julie Moir Messervy (Introduction), Joe Earle (Introduction), Sadao Hibi (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2007

Japanese gardens have long been admired for their capacity to improve on nature through impeccable design, detail and composition, properties that elevate them from mere gardens to sacred spaces. Infinite Spaces is a remarkable reflection of the Japanese garden, drawing on extracts from the Sakuteiki-an eleventh-century text that distills centuries of garden design-and pairing them with inspiring images from Sadao Hibi, one of Japan's best-known photographers.

Praise for the hardcover edition:

"Pairs quotations from an ancient writing, the Sakuteiki, on garden design with exquisite photos that illuminate the words. This book should leave a gardener serene, refreshed and inspired-in other words, in the right frame of mind to contemplate another growing season."-Knight Ridder Newspapers

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Pairs quotations from an ancient writing, the Sakuteiki, on garden design with exquisite photos that illuminate the words." -- Knight Ridder Newspapers

"The photos in this newest volume would intrigue even the most avid devotees of such gardens." -- Landscape Architecture Magazine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Joe Earle is the Former Keeper of the Far Eastern Department of London's Victoria and Albert Museum and has published extensively on traditional and contemporary Japanese art and culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Paperback with Flaps edition (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804838623
• ISBN-13: 978-0804838627
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful images, May 19, 2010

By 

Albert Ang (Singapore) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Infinite Spaces: The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden (Paperback)

I like the beautiful photos of the Japanese gardens shown in this book. For further and in depth study of Sakuteiki, I recommend the translation work of Jiro Takei & Marc P. Keane (Sakuteiki - Visions of the Japanese Garden).

For other books on Japanese gardens, I recommend books by Marc P Keane (Japanese Garden Design), David and Michiko Young (The Art of the Japanese Garden), Geeta K Mehta and Kimie Tada (Japanese gardens - Tranquility, Simplicity and Harmony).

4.0 out of 5 stars Good on concepts, beautiful, but little concrete inspiration or instruction for a home gardener, November 4, 2009

By 

Gen of North Coast Gardening (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Infinite Spaces: The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden (Paperback)

I own a number of Japanese Gardening books, since I'm a landscape designer, and this is one that really helped me understand the macro concepts involved in Japanese Garden Design.

The book is basically a series of well-thought-out and well-chosen quotes about Japanese Gardening, the philosophy, and how to do it, interspersed with gorgeous color photos of large-scale Japanese Gardens. I love the layout of the book and the way you can read and digest the book over a few days without getting bogged down in excess detail or too much text. The photos accompany the text well.

It's not my favorite book on Japanese Gardening (get Serene Gardens for that) just because the photos are of such large gardens. I design home gardens, not giant estates, so while I could be inspired by the general concepts, there weren't concrete ideas I could take from it - few pathways, gates, fences, privacy screens, small-space plantings, etc.

If you want to learn the philosophy behind Japanese Gardening in a fun and easy way while getting inspired by gorgeous photos, then this is a great book. If you're looking for concrete instruction or photographs that you can pull ideas from for your home garden, look elsewhere.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book, June 13, 2008

By 

Arttice E. Patterson "Ellen" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Infinite Spaces: The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden (Paperback)

This is such a beautiful book. I look forward to using some of the ideas to build my Japanese garden.