Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design – Combine the power of Zen and nature.
London: Collins and Brown. 2003.
ISBN: 1-84340-021-9
$24.95 US $38.95 CAN £18.99

Reading this book was sheer agony as I knew that several people were
expecting a review on the IBC forum. I have agonized over whether to follow
through with my original plan to write an article worthy of the New York
Review of Books or have compassion on the author and fellow IBC members, and
be quick and to the point. I have decided to have mercy and selected the
second option.

If getting my 25 bucks was the author's objective, he got it!

I earnestly tried to keep a list of errors, misspelled words, poor grammar,
and inappropriately used Japanese words, but after a few pages I gave up. It
appears that this book is NOT a translation and one could easily reach the
conclusion that it has never seen the pencil of a professional editor. Even
a better grade spell checking software would improve its text. Enough for
literary quality.

My interest in this book was aroused because of the term "Zen" was used in
the subtitle. The word is also used profusely throughout the book,
especially in combination with "quality." As a matter of fact the first part
of the book is a gallery of 16 photographs of bonsai and for each entry the
author lists not only relevant plant and training information, but a
paragraph "Zen qualities." It is my opinion that none of the 16 paragraphs
have anything to do with Zen or any artistic qualities one may find
associated with Zen in East Asian art literature.

The chapter titled "Zen and the art of bonsai" is not about Zen and art, but
rather the author's view of what bonsai aesthetics should be. For the rest
of the book it appears as if the author had used a random number generator
and when a certain combination of numbers would appear, he would insert the
word "Zen." In my opinion the only consistency in the use of this word is
that it was consistently inappropriate.

In closing I am taking the liberty of quoting a paragraph, a good practice
for reviewers: "In contrast to the normal bonsai convention of cultivating
soilhugging surface roots, Hobbit style tree roots are deliberately exposed
to create hollows, as in the film The Lord of the Rings where the hobbits
took refuge in the roots of the trees. ......The cavern-like holes that form
beneath the trunks have a mysterious look. Unusually, this intriguing Zen
aspect focuses on one of the least dominant features of a bonsai." (Page 98)
If this paragraph makes sense to you or appeals to you, I recommend that you
read the book. Otherwise save your money.



Peter Aradi
Tulsa, Oklahoma

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I appreciate Peter's sacrifice by reading this book and I would agree that
the paragraph quoted below doesn't seem to have anything to do with even my
limited understanding of Zen.

Also, the lack of attention to the details of spelling, etc., are
regrettable.

However, I do think that if Bonsai is going to be more popular especially
among a younger, more urban population it will need to change and reflect popular
culture such as "The Lord of The Rings."

Billy on the Florida Space Coast
BSF Annual Convention May 28 - 31, 2004 Radisson Hotel, Cape Canaveral,
Florida
Sponsored by The Bonsai Society of Brevard and the Treasure Coast Bonsai
Society
http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org/2004/2004.html

In a message dated 1/16/2004 10:08:34 PM Eastern Standard Time,
writes:

Reading this book was sheer agony as I knew that several people were
expecting a review on the IBC forum. I have agonized over whether to follow
through with my original plan to write an article worthy of the New York
Review of Books or have compassion on the author and fellow IBC members, and
be quick and to the point. I have decided to have mercy and selected the
second option.

In closing I am taking the liberty of quoting a paragraph, a good practice
for reviewers: "In contrast to the normal bonsai convention of cultivating
soilhugging surface roots, Hobbit style tree roots are deliberately exposed
to create hollows, as in the film The Lord of the Rings where the hobbits
took refuge in the roots of the trees. ......The cavern-like holes that form
beneath the trunks have a mysterious look. Unusually, this intriguing Zen
aspect focuses on one of the least dominant features of a bonsai."


************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Thanks, Peter. I think there is _some_ value in the photos,
which are well done and show some Chinese-style trees that aren't
commonly seen in other bonsai books. Whether there's $25.00
worth of value or not is another question.

However, if we have to link bonsai to the Lord of the Rings as
"hobbit trees" the spot is in bad trouble. At any rate, I don't
recall much nesting in the roots in the movies -- and in the
"Fellowship" it's mean Old Man Willow who tries to do away with
Frodo and crew (and would have, but for Tom Bombadill).

There are "better" trees to pattern a bonsai after. :-)



Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design - Combine the power of Zen
and nature.
London: Collins and Brown. 2003.
ISBN: 1-84340-021-9
$24.95 US $38.95 CAN £18.99

Reading this book was sheer agony as I knew that several people
were
expecting a review on the IBC forum. I have agonized over whether
to follow
through with my original plan to write an article worthy of the
New York
Review of Books or have compassion on the author and fellow IBC
members, and
be quick and to the point. I have decided to have mercy and
selected the
second option.

snip
..

In closing I am taking the liberty of quoting a paragraph, a good
practice
for reviewers: "In contrast to the normal bonsai convention of
cultivating
soilhugging surface roots, Hobbit style tree roots are
deliberately exposed
to create hollows, as in the film The Lord of the Rings where the
hobbits
took refuge in the roots of the trees. ......The cavern-like
holes that form
beneath the trunks have a mysterious look. Unusually, this
intriguing Zen
aspect focuses on one of the least dominant features of a
bonsai." (Page 98)
If this paragraph makes sense to you or appeals to you, I
recommend that you
read the book. Otherwise save your money.

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter"
Subject: [IBC] Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design - Book review


Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design - Combine the power of Zen and nature.
London: Collins and Brown. 2003.
ISBN: 1-84340-021-9
$24.95 US
Snip: Reading this book was sheer agony as I knew that several people were
expecting a review on the IBC forum.

Peter Aradi


Sorry they got you Peter!
I used to sell a lot of books through my business but don't bother anymore.
I found there were about 10 really good ones ( we've talked about this on
IBC before) then the rest were just money- grabbers. I felt crummy about
selling them, the cheaper they were, the better they sold. I don't even
bother flipping through most, especially after some of the cover pictures
I've noticed. ( Yes, I know the author doesn't always control that). Most
$12-20 books seem to be clones of each other.
You guess you fell for the key words "Design" and "Zen"
Some other key words for selling I've noticed are "Styling", "Care"
"Health" and of course "Ancient Japanese ( Or Chinese) art".
You know what I'll bet you could do with the book Peter?......
I'll bet if you put it on eBay you could sell it for $29.95! :)
Regards,
Dale

P.S. Please keep an eye out for my upcoming book
" The Ancient Art and Zen Of Japanese Bonsai and The Correct Way To Keep
Them Alive , Healthy and Correctly Styled"

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Subject: [IBC] Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design - Book review

Peter,

You open my thoughts again to making some study of Zen - and I will,
since it seems to pop up in anything to do with art -books, critiques and
has been for the last few years.
I have been thinking about what Billy, in Florida, said about
younger urban folks maybe having more interest in bonsai with the
situations made in the book to connect to.
For all the Zen books now in the art shelves, how to draw, paint,
etc, it is becoming part of the Context of art. Since art does evolve
from changing contexts in culture maybe we should look at it as something
that is becoming influentual. It may grow as part of the critical
viewpoints.
Probably a lot of bringing it about may be based on thin
assumptions, but that is the nature of people trying to establish
something different in a rather "set" situation,- a way to begin a change.
Now I am in a quandry - do I want to read it or not.

Lynn
Pardon me, Billy, for not copying your msg, but it took this slow mind
awhile to put it in place, where I think it is a "pointer."

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

P.S. Please keep an eye out for my upcoming book
" The Ancient Art and Zen Of Japanese Bonsai and The Correct Way To Keep
Them Alive , Healthy and Correctly Styled"

To be rapidly followed up by 'The Ancient Art and Zen Of Japanese *Indoor*
Bonsai and The Correct Way To Keep Them Alive, Healthy and Correctly
Styled'. )

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email:

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

I am only a third of the way through this book and it seems that the use
of Zen may in fact be a tact aimed at increasing sales or an approach that
the author thought might distinquish his book from the myriad Bonsai titles
available.

However, I think that the review may have been less critical if the book
did not have the word Zen in its title. I sense a bit of a prediposition to
doubt about whether anyone could truly "Combine the power of Zen and nature"
in an informative bonsai text and perhaps this prediposition caused the
reviewer to read with an overly critical eye.

There are some fantastic pictures and drawings in this book. And from
what I have read so far, I think where the author has succeeded in part is
in evoking a sense of what moves him with respect to the art. So many Bonsai
related texts, and even the lectures and demonstrations that we all attend,
are focused on the hows and whys. So few touch upon what really moves us
individually.

For me, bonsai is not just about beauty and horticulture. From the first
bonsai I saw, there was something about these trees that touched my spirit.
And when I work with my trees, I am often filled with a sense of being that
is outside my everyday life. Its not just a communion with nature. Its
something more that I cannot readily communicate.

So while the Zen tact may in fact have been bait and perhaps we bit
expecting something more than what we got, I feel there is still value in
the book compared to many of the texts I have read.

Perhaps my own skepticism about the intents of the book actually caused
me to focus more on the message behind the words. And in doing so, I find
myself thinking more about those aspects of bonsai which remain elusive.

Jim Dolce


-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ]On Behalf
Of Peter
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2004 10:08 PM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design - Book review


Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design – Combine the power of Zen
and nature.
London: Collins and Brown. 2003.
ISBN: 1-84340-021-9
$24.95 US $38.95 CAN £18.99

Reading this book was sheer agony as I knew that several people were
expecting a review on the IBC forum. I have agonized over whether
to follow
through with my original plan to write an article worthy of the New York
Review of Books or have compassion on the author and fellow IBC
members, and
be quick and to the point. I have decided to have mercy and selected the
second option.

If getting my 25 bucks was the author's objective, he got it!

I earnestly tried to keep a list of errors, misspelled words,
poor grammar,
and inappropriately used Japanese words, but after a few pages I
gave up. It
appears that this book is NOT a translation and one could easily reach the
conclusion that it has never seen the pencil of a professional
editor. Even
a better grade spell checking software would improve its text. Enough for
literary quality.

My interest in this book was aroused because of the term "Zen" was used in
the subtitle. The word is also used profusely throughout the book,
especially in combination with "quality." As a matter of fact the
first part
of the book is a gallery of 16 photographs of bonsai and for each
entry the
author lists not only relevant plant and training information, but a
paragraph "Zen qualities." It is my opinion that none of the 16 paragraphs
have anything to do with Zen or any artistic qualities one may find
associated with Zen in East Asian art literature.

The chapter titled "Zen and the art of bonsai" is not about Zen
and art, but
rather the author's view of what bonsai aesthetics should be. For the rest
of the book it appears as if the author had used a random number generator
and when a certain combination of numbers would appear, he would
insert the
word "Zen." In my opinion the only consistency in the use of this word is
that it was consistently inappropriate.

In closing I am taking the liberty of quoting a paragraph, a good practice
for reviewers: "In contrast to the normal bonsai convention of cultivating
soilhugging surface roots, Hobbit style tree roots are
deliberately exposed
to create hollows, as in the film The Lord of the Rings where the hobbits
took refuge in the roots of the trees. ......The cavern-like
holes that form
beneath the trunks have a mysterious look. Unusually, this intriguing Zen
aspect focuses on one of the least dominant features of a
bonsai." (Page 98)
If this paragraph makes sense to you or appeals to you, I
recommend that you
read the book. Otherwise save your money.



Peter Aradi
Tulsa, Oklahoma

************************************************** ****************
**************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ****************
**************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++


************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Ha!
You're right Dave,
I forgot "Key Word #12"
Dale

----- Original Message -----
From: "David J. Bockman"
To:
Sent: Saturday, January 17, 2004 2:46 PM
Subject: [IBC] Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design - Book review


P.S. Please keep an eye out for my upcoming book
" The Ancient Art and Zen Of Japanese Bonsai and The Correct Way To
Keep
Them Alive , Healthy and Correctly Styled"

To be rapidly followed up by 'The Ancient Art and Zen Of Japanese *Indoor*
Bonsai and The Correct Way To Keep Them Alive, Healthy and Correctly
Styled'. )

David J. Bockman,

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mark Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++