Is Anyone Familiar With This Early US Bonsai Book?

GaryS

I thought I owned most of the older Bonsai books but I found this book at a used book store today.

As you can see, it's entitled "A Dwarfed Tree Manual for Westerners" and it was written by Samuel Newsom.

The publisher is -The Tokyo News Service LTD, Tokyo, Japan
November 1960.

The book is hard bound with this cover as a slip jacket.

Samuel Newsom is/was from Mill Valley, California

It's a very good book with many old pictures of bonsai from Japan and many of the famous bonsai we have come to know over the years in their formative years. One in particular is Kyuzo Murata's large zelkova shortly after is was stump-cut.

The author's bonsai nursery was/is located in Mill Valley, CA and the name of it was/is Bonsai-En.

I'm just curious if anyone knows of this book or ever visited this nursery.

Thanks

Attached Images

old_book_cover01.jpg (53.4 KB, 116 views)

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GaryS

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rockm

It's one of the most widely available old bonsai books from what I've seen. It's pretty commonly available at old book stores.

GaryS

rockm,

I've never bumped into it in the 28 years I've been around with bonsai. The Chicago Public library didn't even have this one. Could be a regional thing.

I here the nursery is no longer in existance and that Mr. Newsom wasn't a very sharing type of fellow. Someone that knew him posted this info on a different forum. I guess he was in Japan before the WWII.

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GaryS