bonsaial1

Rip, the "favor" is an inside joke between Crow and I. He knows what I am talking about. Loosen up dude everyone is entitled to an opinion in the open forum.

And no, I can't come up with one book in a coffee table format in your 19.99 price range. Although I would expect to know what your definition of a coffee table book is. If you think this is it then you and I differ on what a coffee table book is.

Lets look at size: first most standard format books come in at appx. 8.5x11.5

Peter Chan's book comes in at 11.5x11.5. That seems a pretty unusual size for a book. Maybe thats what does it. No, wait a minute these books are an unusual size too, Bonsai, by Colin Lewis at 11.5x10.5 or Bonsai Art Europe I, at 10x9 or Bonsai The Art of Living Sculpture, by Jack Douthitt at 9x9.5 or Forest, Rock Planting & Ezo Spruce Bonsai by Saburo Kato at 9x7. While all these book were printed in strange size formatts, just because they are different does not make them coffee table books in my opinion.

The photo's, thats what does it.
While this book is chock full of photo's, some of them in very large sizes, the quality of the photo's is just average. While this is OK for a bonsai book it in no way is of the quality of the imagery I have seen in very good coffee table books.

The Artistry, thats what it is,
Now this book is very well laid out for a bonsai book. But it is not very good for a coffee table book. While the book has much to give in the way of information( same old stuff) it is not the kind of text that would be included in a coffee table type book.

So,,, What is it that makes a good coffee table book. Well in my opinion it should fit this criterion.
60% pictures
20% text
20% white space
It should be the work of three artists: The Photographer, The Author, The Editor or Publisher
The pictures: They should be museum quality, the trees should have professional lighting, great stands, backdrops should be black to make the tree blend into the surroundings. The tree should be well lit at the top of the tree to make the foliage sparkle, and the bottom of the tree should be in the shadows to make the pot blend into the stand. Walter Pall is very good at this.
The Author: The text should be informational only. It could give a brief history of the tree and the artist. It could give the age and height of the tree, and where the stand and pot came from.
The Editor or Publisher: These folks put the whole thing together. The photo's are arranged in a order that leads you on to turn the next page. The use of "white space" for dramatic effect is used throughout the book. The stock in which the book is printed will be heavy and glossy. The binding on the book will be cloth and will have a sewn spine. The end pages will reflect the quality of the book. The pages may have guilded edges but probably not on a bonsai book.

Two very nice coffee table books on bonsai have been published in the USA. There may be more that I am not aware of. "Timeless Trees, The US National Bonsai Collection, By Bloomer", and " Outstanding American Bonsai, by Randy Clark". These books are works of art.

To me that is what distinguishes a coffee table book, is it a work of art. I have a few books of this caliber that I have bought from time to time. One on Nascar by Nascar, one by Jaques Cousteau on coral reefs, and African Experiance by Simon Combs.

After all that, Rip, it's still a good bargain at 19.99 AK

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A tree a day...thats all we ask.