In this deluxe volume renowned botanical photographer Jonathan Singer presents his breathtaking images of the world's most notable bonsai. Features a cloth-bound hardcover with a leather-bound spine and a handsome cloth slipcase.

Table of Contents from Fine Bonsai: Foreword by Hiroshi Takeyama Preface by Jonathan M. Singer Introduction by William N. Valavanis Nature & The Art of Bonsai by W. John Kress A Brief History of Bonsai by Thomas S. Elias Bonsai Aesthetics PLATES captions by William N. Valavanis APPENDICES Bonsai Containers Suiseki: Stone Appreciation captions by Sean Smith Selecting the Bonsai for Photographing by William N. Valavanis Significant Collections & Celebrated Artists by William N. Valavanis Kyuka-en Bonsai Garden Seiko-en Bonsai Garden Mansei-en Bonsai Garden Omiya Bonsai Art Museum Masahiko Kimura Fuyo-En Bonsai Garden S-Cube Uchiku-Tei Bonsai Garden Shunka-en Bonsai Museum Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection The Kennett Collection National Bonsai & Penjing Museum Golden State Bonsai Federation Collection at the Huntington International Bonsai Arboretum Acknowledgments Index

Excerpt from Fine Bonsai: Introduction Bonsai are artistically trained, dwarfed potted plants, usually of woody species. The combination of art and horticulture synergistically creates a unique living art; some bonsai are true abstract art. Derived from two Chinese/Japanese characters, the word bonsai, correctly pronounced, “bone-sigh,” can be translated literally as “to plant in a tray.” Imagine, in one container you can enjoy an entire forest of maples or a seaside scene with a rock planting—these are images of bonsai. As people around the globe have embraced the art of bonsai and adapted their styles to their own native species, new forms are being established. This is good for the art of bonsai, allowing expansion and improvement. The history of bonsai is long and complex; bonsai created in Japan prior to 1800 are thought to have been for the most part imitations of Chinese and Korean bonsai. Gradually, Japanese bonsai became differentiated from those of other countries, and between 1900 and 1950, they developed into something uniquely Japanese that could be clearly distinguished from the bonsai that had existed until that time. Bonsai as we know it today is thus a rather recent form that continues to be refined in Japan and around the world as it expands to other places. Fine Bonsai: Art & Nature presents the beauty and art of bonsai as captured through the eyes of master photographer Jonathan M. Singer. This world-renowned art photographer is able to see beyond the species and the techniques to find the artistic essence in each bonsai. This is not a bonsai textbook but rather a photographic collection of fine bonsai that interested Dr. Singer’s artistic eye with their foliage, flowers, carved dead wood, roots, bark texture, and other features. Viewers will appreciate the beauty Dr. Singer has highlighted, and some may be inspired to pursue the art. All will surely appreciated the fine composition of the photographs, the printing, and the bonsai’s interesting stories. The ages of the bonsai masterpieces in this book range from more that one thousand years to less than ten, showing that the actual age is not as important as the beauty and illusion of antiquity. Dr. Singer is the only person to have photographed select bonsai from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in Sataima City, Japan, and the Shunka-en Bonsai Museum in Tokyo, as well as numerous other masterpieces trained by Japan’s greatest bonsai artists. Additionally, he traveled around the United States to capture many of the finest bonsai specimens to be found in the country. Bringing together the assemblage of bonsai was no small feat, and the bonsai world is indebted to Dr. Singer and the publisher for producing this beautiful book celebrating bonsai as fine art. On March 11, 2011, the greatest earthquake to have hit Japan in modern times (and the fifth most powerful known in the world) rattled the region and moved the island of Honshu eight feet (2.4m) eastward. Subsequently, a tsunami with waves as high as 133 feet (40.5 m), devastated the area. Nearly 16,000 people lost their lives, 6,000 were injured, and some 3,600 remain missing. More than 125,000 building were damaged or destroyed. A prominent bonsai artist lost his home and belongings, including three hundred bonsai, many of which were award-winning masterpieces. In an effort to assist the victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the publisher will donate a portion of the proceeds of this book to the Japanese Red Cross Society. I sincerely hope readers of this book will enjoy the beautiful art photographs as well as the detailed descriptions of the bonsai and perhaps find a heightened appreciation for the art form. — William N. Valvanis