Four Seasons of Bonsai

Rating:
Summary: True bonsai
Review: As you go trough the book you will discover some wonderful pictures, but that's it. Because the information that comes with the photos is very limited and in some cases inexistent, except for the name of the species, of course. Unless you are an "advanced" bonsaist, you better buy another book as this, only gives you lots of visual information, that beginners, as me, won't see at first glance. So, if you are a beginner, you better grab your hands on another book, but if you know enough, I would rate this book as four-five stars.

Rating:
Summary: True bonsai
Review: Full of examples of excellent bonsais, the results of techniques which are almost lost in the present profit-basis world of bonsai. This book is an accumulation of true masterpieces which an amateur can never attain.
Those who criticize this book for the lack of explanation are making the same mistake as saying "no explanation of how to paint!" looking at the book of Leonardo da Vinci; besides, bonsais in this book are grown for tens of, sometimes hundreds of years. So it would be impossible to explain what time does to the plants.
In front of this book, all I have to do is to sigh for my lack of skills. But I believe this is an agony by which all creators are haunted.

Rating:
Summary: what kind of four seasons?
Review: If you think you are going to see pictures of the same bonsai in four different seasons do not buy this book. Except for one plant there is no such a thing. And it is a pity. The book has four different chapters, one for each season. But they do not repeat the same plants. That is to say that they just select good plants to be photographed in each season as most books do. Therefore one cannot see the richness of a bonsai throughout the year. The book is beautiful but if you want good pictures there are many other better books i.e. Classic Bonsai of Japan, also by Kodansha.