Bonsai Design: Deciduous and Coniferous Trees

Rating:
Summary: horticulture AND art
Review: It's probably safe to call this one a classic; it's just unfortunate that it's out of print and a bit hard to find.
Peter Adams comes at the subject of bonsai from the point of view of the trained artist, and his training shows through here. His emphasis on artistic method should be a welcome antidote to the oft-found notion that bonsai is little more than keeping alive a cute little tree in a pot.
In addition, this book has a wealth of hands-on information concerning soils, horticulture and strategies for long-term development of specimens. Keep in mind that few true bonsai are created in less than a few years, even when starting with specimens that already have a well-developed trunk and roots.
Adams has a special respect for, and treatment of, collected trees -- those taken from the wild.
This is a very good how-to book with lots of examples of how individual specimens were designed and developed.
This book is perhaps a little intimidating for the beginner; a novice might be better off starting with something like Herb Gustafson's "Bonsai Workshop," which gives a better basic overview of the art form but shares Adams's project-oriented approach. Or John Naka's "Bonsai Techniques" I & II, which have a wealth of very accessible information. Or even Peter Adams's "The Art of Flowering Bonsai," which has a lot of general information on developing trees as well as species-specific information related to certain blossoming kinds.
But if you find a used copy of "Bonsai Design" somewhere, buy it. If you don't read it now, you'll want to refer to it later.