The Minimalist Coloring Book: The Absence Of Coloring Contains All Coloring (Zen Koan) [Paperback]

Craig Conley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2007

This coloring book contains 89 images of white things, printed on white paper. Is one to fill in these images with a white crayon? Or is one to let go of the crayon and practice the Taoist concept of wu-wei (actionless action)?

Why color white objects white?

• White is the absence of color which contains all colors.
• It's easy to keep within the lines.
• It helps one to focus on process, not results.
• It fulfills Zen Master Han-Shan's invitation to "leap the world's ties and sit among the white clouds."
• It is a rejection of artifice, an unveiling of the void.
• It is an antidote to art theory.

Why not color white objects white?

• In Zen terms, the absence of coloring contains all coloring.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Craig Conley, “America’s most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation” (Encarta), is a curator, benefactor, philosopher, author, music producer, and documentarian. A former college teacher of writing and literature, he left academia to pursue his research into one-letter words, two-fold deities, and ancient Zen versions of Rock-Paper-Scissors. In addition to his Magic Words: A Dictionary and One-Letter Words: A Dictionary, he has written several educational titles, including four editions of the textbook Human Diversity: A Guide for Understanding, published by McGraw-Hill. His latest documentary, “David Lynch and His Precursors,” traces the avant-garde filmmaker’s influence through time, to movies that predate Lynch’s own body of work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (September 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438220294
• ISBN-13: 978-1438220291
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,419,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CRAIG CONLEY has been called "a true Renaissance man of the modern era, diving headfirst into comprehensive, open-minded study of realms obscured or merely obscure" (Clint Marsh), "America's most creative and diligent scholar of letters, words and punctuation" (Encarta), a "language fanatic" (Page Six gossip columnist Cindy Adams), and a "cult hero" (Publisher's Weekly). An eccentric scholar, Conley's ideas are often decades ahead of their time. He invented the concept of the "virtual pet" in 1980, fifteen years before the debut of the popular "Tamagotchi" in Japan. His virtual pet, actually a rare flower, still thrives and has reached an incomprehensible size. Conley's ONE-LETTER WORDS: A DICTIONARY is published by HarperCollins, and his MAGIC WORDS: A DICTIONARY is published by Weiser Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and thoughftul, August 2, 2008

By 

Gordon Meyer (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Minimalist Coloring Book: The Absence Of Coloring Contains All Coloring (Zen Koan) (Paperback)

I've shown this book to several of my friends and they've all appreciated it for its creativity, depth, and uniqueness. This would make a fine gift for anyone who has a taste for the unique or ascribes to minimalism.