The Complete Practical Encyclopedia of Bonsai: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide to Creating, Growing, and Displaying Bonsai with Over 800 Photographs

This fully illustrated volume is ideal for everyone from the rank novice to those who already have a strong foothold in this art form. The layout of this book is extremely appealing, informational, and just begs to be browsed. I purchased this book along with "101 Essential Tips: Bonsai" for a family member who is very interested in this hobby. This encyclopedic volume is much more involved, but is very complimentary to the other one. There are 800 photographs in this book and those alone are a real plus.The introductory pages discuss bonsai and exactly what it is and isn't. The reader is urged to "not become too ambitious too soon in the process" and "move forward in logical steps, proceeding with caution." There is a brief, but enlightening section on the history of bonsai before the book launches full force into a magnificent treatise on varying aspects of this art form. This "encyclopedia" is not laid out in an A to Z manner, but rather unfolds in a leisurely one, one that the reader can feel comfortable with and enjoy. For example, when discussing how to create a cascade bonsai, you will read a bit about what the plant represents, its style, design, and how one goes about creating such a plant. Equipment you will need is listed followed by instructions and nine small, but detailed photographs.This highly detailed book covers so much ground I would almost say this would be the only book one would ever need, but exploring other books can be just as exciting as searching though a greenhouse looking for the perfect starter plant. In this book you will learn about different types of plants, plants suitable for inside and/or outside bonsai, the sizes of plants, the aesthetics of your bonsai, the proportions of the plants, what to look for if you want to purchase bonsai, you will see photographs of numerous magnificent plants, you learn about tools and equipment, how to collect plants from the wild, how to propagate bonsai in several different manners (seed, cuttings, grafting, air layering, the types of soil you need, pruning techniques, shaping, creating jin, creating Sharimiki, re-potting, displaying, and much more!This exquisitely well written and illustrated encyclopedic text on bonsai will thrill everyone from the novice to the master. If you are sick of spider plants overtaking your home you just might want to express yourself and learn about bonsai. There are many books to choose from, but I'd say this is one of the better ones, especially for the beginner to an intermediate level bonsai aficionado. This book will be not only a learning experience, but a book that is a pleasure to browse. In the back of the book there is an index, a glossary, a list of suppliers (worldwide), where you can find bonsai collections, a list of organizations (worldwide), and a U.S. and Canadian plant hardiness map and zone chart. This book is very impressive and well worth adding to your library or giving it as a gift!

It would be great if more how-to books followed this guideline. It didn’t seem to have enough pages for what I had hoped it would cover and boy was I wrong. This book covers history, tools, sourcing plants/propagation/purchase, styles, methods, care, feeding, display…I could keep going. The illustrations are well done and don’t skip any bits and have timely text explaining each photo. The layout makes it easy to follow the illustrations. This book saved me hours in watching videos and reading from multiple sources to get all my questions answered. This book is great for me as a beginner to bonsai, but I appreciate it fully as a trained master gardener volunteer. It is a book you can grow with and in my opinion a very good resource. This one will stay in my library.

This book is an excellent addition to my bonsai library of 10 books or so. Starts with basic information and proceeds to more advanced information about bonsai, potting, pruning, selection of shrubs and trees, fertilizing, etc. I'm a long time bonsai enthusiast, but would not describe myself as an expert. I raise bonsai for fun. The book introduced me to trees and shrubs (Jade plant, for instance) that I never thought before could be cultivated as bonsai. Filled with beautiful photos of bonsai. Highly recommended whatever your level of expertise in bonsai.

Yes, I like it. Apparently I liked it so much, I (unknowingly) bought it again. The first time I purchased this book, it was a beautiful coffee table book under another name: "Growing Bonsai: A practical encyclopedia". The first edition was exceptionally beautiful and just as fully informative as the second. For the price, I do suggest this instructional publication. Just don't accidentally purchase it again unless you, like me, have a nephew who is also passionate about bonsai and doesn't have it yet. =).The difference between this version of the book and the first is that this version is 1) smaller dimensions 2) a lower price It gives the same descriptions and knowledge (which is far more comprehensive than average how-to bonsai book). The only difference I can see is that the reader misses the wonderful experience of the larger photographs. I don't know if the table-top version of this book is still in active publication. THIS DIFFERENCE IS THE ONLY REASON I GAVE THIS BOOK A 4-STAR RATING INSTEAD OF A 5-STAR.. For an all-around guide into the world of bonsai, this is the book I would suggest. The only more informative source would be a book on specific bonsai species.

As described and prompt delivery

I have many books on bonsai but this is definitely one of my favorite. It coveres most all the beginning information you will need to learn about this fascinating culture. It really covers the basic principles and gives much needed information to develop an interest for bonsai. There are many examples given of how-to technics and lots of helpful photographs. If I were to select a good beginners book for learning about bonsai, this would be the one. It's not just theory and not just a bunch of pretty pictures. It gives you the beginning skills needed to start your own prized bonsai

Even if you do not grow bonsai trees, it's a nice coffee table book with great pictures.