Bonsai (Rd Home Handbooks)

The Art of Bonsai is the overview. It give the basics, some background, and ideas and information. Most people will want to start in the A-Z of Bonsai Species. This has at least one color picture of the different plants (in some case 3 or 4 picture of different shapes, styles and arrangements) and is VERY handy. It has a detailed, close up view of the leaves and flowers so if your bonsai has a different shape or form, you can still identify your plant. Each of the 75 different species include the following information: Identification (Botanical name and common name), General description, Bonsai suggestions, Leaf detail, Container, Special interest, Seasonal features, Main Caption (which includes height, age, style and particular features of the Bonsai pictured), and Cultivation box. For those of us who have purchased our Bonsai this Cultivation Box has all the information in it we need to keep our Bonsai healthy and happy.

The Maintaining Bonsai section has all the information you will need to keep your Bonsai looking good. How to prune, repot, water and more are covered in this section. It also includes information on pests. Creating a Bonsai take you through all the steps from taking a raw plant to turning it into a masterpiece. The Dictionary give you all the information you need on the plant including cultivation (sun needs, watering, repotting, pruning and propagation), identification, cross reference and general description. It is a very handy reference once you know what kind of plant you have.


Excellent quick reference   June 22, 2001
 13 out of 14 found this review helpful

This book is essentially the compacted version of Tomlinson's "The Complete Bonsai". The wealth of full color images is just as descrptive (though much smaller), and the text much abridged, but if you are looking for a quick yet comprehensive reference, this book will fulfill your needs. I would highly recommend it to anyone considering taking up the art of bonsai. It covers various species and techniques in enough deatil to get anyone going, as well as keep a novice well-informed. It also would make a handy quick refence for any bonsai artist, though it does not go into extreme detail about any techniques. Overall I would call it a very complete overview and chock full of value for the price.


Terrific Book for the Cost   June 30, 2000
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a terrific book for the money. I currently own five books devoted to bonsai, all ranging in price. For the money, this is an excellent book with great pictures. If you are just beginning to create and care for bonsai, this is one of the first books you should own.


Excellent introduction and quick reference of the art   March 10, 2000
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

This book provides the beginner with all of the basic knowledge of the art needed to get started. If I had the option, I would have rated it 4 1/2 stars.

What I like best about the book is the many photos it has of the different plants and bonsai styles. This book will help you develop your bonsai taste because of the variety that it presents to the reader.

It is also an excellent quick reference, it provides the reader the basic needs of each of the trees presented as well as suitable styles and propagation methods. The information is presented in a quick and concise manner for each of the different trees.

About 76 pages of the book is used in presenting the A-Z of bonsai species, the rest of the book is used to present the basic skills and knowledge that you will need to maintain your plant.

The only thing that this book lacks is a "how to" styling guide. That said, I would strongly recommend that anyone who may think that they would be interested in bonsai should buy this book. The pictures are beautiful and even if you go no further in the craft it has a lot of good information about the various plants presented. For the more advanced bonsai artist, this book is a valuable quick reference.

This is a great first book to have!


A must for the beginner or wouldbe Master.   January 22, 2000
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

A wonderful book for all levels of Bonsai enthusiast. Clear concise text make this book a wonderful reference and teaching tool while the beautiful pictures make it a pleasure to read. The book contains a very good tree reference section with complete hints and tips on styling, care and maintenance for each type of plant. The information covers Australian, American and European growing conditions. Overall I would rate this as the best bonsai book available. If you only buy one book it should be "Bonsai" by Harry Tomlinson.