Bonsai Book Review

As I have mentioned before, winter is when I do more reading and study around the subject of Bonsai. With this in mind, I thought I would present some short book reviews of books in my collection. This list will be by no means exhaustive, and there will be many for which I cannot review due to not having actually read them. Each review will just be a summary of my general opinion of the book and what it has to offer, others may have different opinions to mine.

I will start with –

The Bonsai Pocket Encyclopedia – by, Harry Tomlinson

This book was one of my very first bonsai related books. I bought it right at the start when getting interested in the subject. I was initially attracted by its small dimensions yet abundance of pages. This book immediately became my bonsai “bible”, with a large array of information and guides around the subject. The first part of the book covers the different aspects of bonsai, ranging from the art form itself, traditions, where to find stock and draw inspiration from. It also discusses the design principles of bonsai, whilst at the same time, offering a multitude of examples and pictures to help the reader visualise what is being discussed. The seasons are talked about and how they offer different opportunities and dynamics to our bonsai trees. After this section, begins an extensive species guide section, where well over 60 common species used for bonsai are set out. Within each species there is a magnitude of different information to be found including, general information, suggested styles, full cultivation information, and all of this is accompanied by at least one photo of the species as a bonsai. This whole section is very easy to follow and find the exact information you are after, the tree species are placed in alphabetic order which also makes navigation very easy. I use this section of the book often still now, when I come across a species I am unfamiliar with, I will always turn to this book to see what it says about that tree. The next section talks about the styling and maintenance of bonsai trees. First the distinct styles are outlined for the reader, and each one discussed. Then bonsai pots and tools are talked about, again, with many accompanying pictures to illustrate points. After this, many techniques are talked through including, pruning, wiring, and creating specific styles. At the end, general pests and diseases are outlined, and the prevention and treatment also given. The very last section is a dictionary of species suitable for bonsai, this time instead of supporting pictures, a more concise format is taken, giving the cultivation information, and some general habits of the tree. A large number of species and varieties are outlined in this section.

In summary, this is a really excellent book to both beginners and more advanced practitioners. There is a wealth of knowledge contained within the pages and the array of pictures and different bonsai trees are useful and inspiring to look at. This book started out as my “bible” and it still is to a degree now.

If you are interested in this book the ISBN number is – 978-0-7513-0139-7