Must have bonsai books

[Grant Bowie]

In my opinion the most beautifull bonsai book in the world is The World of Bonsai by Paul Lesniewicz; now a bit of a collectors item.

More a picture book than how to; but a must have.

Grant

[Pup]

Deborah Koreshoff's has a few different books which one is the best one to get ?

Deborah has only one book, her parents have three all are good.

[Jamie]

hi mate

there are heaps of good books out there a few of my fav's that I refer to all the time -

Craig Coussins - master class - great book filled with heaps of handy info and great progressions of trees and development in styling etc.
- the handbook of bonsai - another great one, has a few similarities to master class but a lot of different stuff too.


Leong Kwong - ficus in the temperate climate - goes into some good detail on growing figs in an Australian climate, also shows some progressions, not as detailed in
these as Craig Coussins.

the Koreshoffs - these books are great as it does go into lots of details and also for Australian climates.

John Yoshio Naka (THE GODFATHER OF BONSAI!!) - I dont own any of his books but have read some and by god, he is a genious and very down to earth.
- Bonsai Techniques 1 and 2. they are expensive but if you can afford them, get them. they are mostly writing but has a
lot of sketching in them and are just brilliant.

Harry tomlinson - these are good starter books and are great for beginners.

Colin Lewis - has a couple the same that have been brought out a couple of times but show good techniques and guides. not bad inspiration pics either.


there just a few of the top of my head

[Andrew F]

Cant wait to pick up Leong's Books for chrissy

[Luke308]

Perhaps Steven or Ken can make a "stickie" or wiki page that lists bonsai book titles and authors that are recommended, and what area of expertise they would suit e.g. beginner, intermediate etc?? I find it frustrating to borrow books from the library that cover the same beginner stuff in vague details, yet claim to be comprehensive according to the blurb.

So far there have been quite a few books listed here I didn't know were available, and I'm glad I asked the question. I have read "Bonsai with Australian Natives" by the Koreshoff's, but I haven't read Deborah's book "Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy" which I will be tracking down shortly. Also the books by Hoy Leong Kwong sound great as they are suited to our climate which is always a great start

[ben the barbarian]

The two books that have had the biggest impact on me are 'Bonsai Life Histories' by Martin Treasure and 'Four Seasons of Bonsai' by Kyuzo Murata.

I have read Bonsai Life Histories cover to cover probably 30 times, and it never gets old. It follows the life of the authors trees from when it was in a hedgerow, through to when it was a 15 year old bonsai, and he explains every step, all with photos of the development. It's great stuff, and nice to follow a trees' journey rather than just having random pretty bonsai pictures, like most books seem to be.

And then I only recently discovered the Murata book and was blown away! I feel like it opened up a whole new area of bonsai for me, where accent plants and even weeds and grass are given centre stage. Not a lot of text, but such beautiful, inspiring pictures, and a far wider inclusion of plant species than I've seen in ANY other book.

Anyone else share a love of these books??

[Luke308]

Good evening,

Ms. Deborah Koreshoff, an Australian bonsai writer, book is a "must" read for Aussies too.

Thanks for the recommendation, I just received this book in the mail from an ebay seller. I paid $20.50 which I think is a steal!! It looks fantastic, I just need to find a quiet corner to myself now

[Andrew F]

I just got my copy of Tajima & Kobayshi's book, its all eyegasm material.
The cover alone was worth the 40 bucks.

[bodhidharma]

I have a stack of the "Kokofu books" all pictures but when i need some inspiration or i want to find a design for a tree i start browsing through these.

[Luke308]

I just got my copy of Tajima & Kobayshi's book, its all eyegasm material.
The cover alone was worth the 40 bucks.

Which book or books is that your refering too? could you tell me the title please, or maybe provide a link to where you got it? I googled the authors and it was all in Japanese
Cheers

[Andrew F]

I just got my copy of Tajima & Kobayshi's book, its all eyegasm material.
The cover alone was worth the 40 bucks.

Which book or books is that your refering too? could you tell me the title please, or maybe provide a link to where you got it? I googled the authors and it was all in Japanese
Cheers

Its literally called Bonsai. But its a great book.

[MattA]

"Bonsai in Australia" & "Bonsai with Australian Native plants" both by Dorothy & Vita Koreshoff. The best books for anyone who just wants to grow some little trees in our climate. Simple & easy to follow information because it really isnt that hard to grow & keep one alive.

"Bonsai. It's Art, Science, History and Philosophy" by Deborah Koreshoff. For exactly what the title says, a very textbook type work on every aspect of bonsai in enough detail to satisfy most

"Bonsai Techniques 1 & 2" by John Yoshio Naka, If you can get or borrow a copy these are the ultimate works to not only inspire but inform on how to recreate what we see in nature as a small tree and much much more besides.

"The World of Bonsai Artist Kunio Kobayashi", truly breathtaking trees in formal display gives the whole extra layer of accents & scrolls & stands to study. To top it off the trees are displayed as they would be thru out the year so you get a real sense of time's passing, it somehow gives a heavier weight to the age of some of the trees & the care that they have had over that lifetime...

"The Bonsai Art of Kimura" is also inspirational, showing what can be done if you think outside the box...

On top of those any Kokufu or similar books are always awesome to have for inspiration or just escapism for all the trees we will never have here.

Matt

[MattA]

Or you can take the whole lot to the next level...
"Man Lung Garden Artistic Pot Plants" by Yee-sun Wu

A lesser substitute http://www.manlungpenjing.org/

[krittas]

Good books to drooooool over are "the best of bonsai in europe series"...there published by bonsai focus ppl i think....Great pics for inspiration for sure..

[toohey]

Hi ,
Not really a book, but I have just received a number of the International Bonsai Magazines from Bill Valanvalis. These are just beautiful. The information is worthwhile and the pictures are just fantastic (made even better by our exchange rate).
I am now ordering back issues at $5 each for 6 or more plus $10 postage. For those who love bonsai these are well worth a look.
Regards,
Michael Toohey