Seeking Advanced Technique Books

kompik

I've started a collection of Bonsai books and am looking to put together a wish list so family members can know what I already have and what I'm particularly looking for. To that end, I'd like to get some recommendations of books that go well beyond the basics. I don't mind if the books are narrowly focused (like Peter Adam's "Flowering Bonsai"), so long as they go more indepth than the typical beginners bonsai book.

For reference, here's my current collection:

Philip Edinger - Bonsai (Sunset)
Herb L. Gustafson - miniature Bonsai
Herb L. Gustafson - The Bonsai Workshop
David Prescott - The Bonsai Handbook
Harry Tomlinson - Bonsai (RD Home Handbooks)
Martin Treasure - Bonsai Life Histories

I've also taken a look at a lot more books than I've purchased, so what I'd really like to know is what books more experienced bonsai artists/hobbiests find themselves going back to once they've already learned the basics.

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noah

I found bonsai today masters series on pines (JWP, JBP) to be an excellent book on techniques and has quite advanced methods by some of the worlds top pine masters

gregb

At over 250 pages, Deborah R. Koreshoff's "BONSAI Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy" will take a while for you to digest. Some of the material is outdated but it is well worth the price. It is filled with the author's own drawings of bonsai and has lots of esoteric things in it such as making compost tea for fertilizing your trees (works pretty well--I've tried it) I paid $44.95 for it back in the early nineties. That was for hardcover and I'm sure there is a softcover out for less $$ by now.

rockm

The books you have listed are pretty much beginner books. I own all of them. Although they offer glimpses of interesting stuff, they don't really get into alot of other truly advanced techniques.

Check Nick Lenz' "Bonsai From the Wild," Craig Coussin's "Bonsai School," ANYTHING by Peter Adams, John Naka's Techinques 1 and 2 (no, these are definitely NOT beginners books if you actually read some of the details), "The Bonsai Art of Kimura," Peter Chan's books form "Bonsai Masterclass" to his most recent one, "The Bonsai Book" by Dan Robinson, "The Art of Bonsai Design" by Colin Lewis, "The Bonsai Book of Practical Facts" by Jerome Meyer. "Bonsai, the Art and Technique" by Dorothy Young.

There are others too. Most are older books, but not ancient, published within the last 15 years or so. Many can be found on a search of Ebay, or Amazon. Some are sold through Stone Lantern, the company that publishes Bonsai Today.

top_cat

I would suggest The Secret Techniques of Bonsai by Masakuni Kawasumi II, Masakuni Kawasumi III. I think this is a great book with some really good and practical ideas for getting the most out of your material.

Check it out on amazon to view some of the pages. Well worth the money

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orderme3

Yesterday i bought Craig Coussin's: Master Class. One very interesting section was on trunk fusing. They used about 70 maple seedlings and weaved them into a wire frame and over time they all fused together to form one tree. Very interesting. Worth adding it to your collection.

stephenr

Deborah R. Koreshoff's "BONSAI Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy"

Excellent addition to your collection. A wealth of information. Most if not all Deborah Koreshoff's books are related to bonsai in Australia so you will need to adjust the season timing to your own local...

Bonsai Today Masters Series on Pines.

A must have if you are going to work with pines...

"Vison of my Soul" by Robert Steven.

This is not a 'how to book' but covers the principles and concepts of bonsai design.The book is loaded with photographic plates demonstarting these principles.

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"We grow by attempting that which is difficult, not what is easy"

Bonsai Barry

Although, my favorite "how to" book is Deborah R. Koreshoff's "BONSAI Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy", "The Living Art of Bonsai" by Amy Liang is underrated. It has a strong chinese perspective with pages of beautiful examples. You can get it on e-bay for less than $20 if you're persistant.

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Bonsai Barry

"Our talent lies in our choices."