Bonsai Books

JohnQuinn

Vance Wood recently and appropriately pointed out the necessity for taking the initiative to gather some basic background before starting bonsai. Owning or at least reading some books is a good way to start. Having just repainted my home office and finally getting around to sorting and arranging my bonsai books, I was surprised to see how the number had grown over the years. I even compiled a complete list using Wordpefect for ready reference. I thought it would be fun to create a poll.

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Misspeled_Name

I own 4 bonsai books, and they are all pretty well rated books. And even though they are fun to read, and the idea of having a hard copy is comforting to a lot of people (including myself). In reality everything that I have ever found in a book I can find online.

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Vance Wood

If you count publications like Bonsai Today, International Bonsai and several others from time to time I would count hundreds. It is interesting that you noticed my attempts to point the importance of foundation reading. At least someone noticed it's like everyone else on that post is playing like I am not even there. This kind of thing does not bode well for where we are going either in bonsai or other fields of endeavor. Thanks John.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa

soonami

I have a lot too, but I'm just starting.

It's good that the newer books are often availible at sale prices form online dealers, now if only they'd reprint or update Koreshoff's book, Lenz's and some of the older books, I'd be more than willing to expand my collection, but as it stands, I'd rather spend $60 on a tree than a book.

Ralph

I read voraciously. I have two magazine subscriptions, half a dozen books, four video tapes, visit the library regularly, and consume everything I can find on the internet about bonsai. I too agree that everything I have seen in print, I can find on the net, and then some. I also read everything I can about basic art instruction, I have found much that is helpful in my bonsai development.

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Aaron_K

11 books and counting lol. I'm always coming back to them for reference.

All the best,

Aaron

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JR_Roosa

I agree with the book/online synergy, but I like to have the basic info on hand. Also, it's hard for a beginner to differentiate between good advice from different climates on the internet, so it's nice to have a book that might be more explicit in the generalizability of certain info.

I also really like to raid the local library. When I was in grad school, I found a Japanese bonsai book in the university library from the early 1900s with beautiful B&W plates of gorgeous trees. Wow, they could really grow crysanthemums. It was in the traditional Japanese fold-out format and was held closed with silk ribbon. Stunning. Couldn't read a bit of it, but really cool.

Should we be mentioning most useful books from our collection?

Sunset Bonsai. Great for general ideas and basic information for beginners/novices. Pretty cheap. Available at most public libraries, and all reasonable bookstores. Really nice pictures. I've found that the Sunset zones and tree recommendations are very useful. Trees they say won't grow here (Denver, CO, USA) really are miserable. Trees they say will, thrive.

Also the Sunset Western Garden Book. Not really a bonsai book per se, but good for the "I wonder if I could get that to grow here?" questions on plants not in the Bonsai book. Super useful for the rest of the garden too.

-J.

tuckerg

about 100 magazines,25 books

Vance Wood

I have noticed and interesting if not scary trend in these two related threads. The great proponents of not using books, so far, have a combined bonsai experience of less than ten years. Most of them that I have been able to tell, where they have had the courage to post on their member profiles, have had three at the most. This is not a condemnation of beginners but there seems to be a trend of beginners teaching beginners and when more experienced people comment they are either ignored or in some cases vilified.

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The only finished bonsai is a dead one; me 1992 MABA Des Moines Iowa