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Suiseki was first practised by the Chinese nearly
two thousand years ago. These days, it is a notably Japanese artform involving the study, enjoyment and display of
unique, naturally formed stones as objects of art or beauty.
The value of a true suiseki stone is judged by its power to suggest or 'conjure up' an animal, object or
scene from nature. Suiseki is much like bonsai, minus the horticultural aspect and 'ever-growing' nature. Any of the books below will take you through and act as
a good introduction to this facinating art
Review : A highly renowned book, only recently published, set to introduce and guide the beginner through the basics of suiseki. This book allows you to see some of the most magnificent Suiseki stones, and the stunning, imaginative ways they have been arranged and exhibited in full color. Contains a guide on how to create your own collection of Suiseki, with tips on things such as where to collect your stones, what tools you'll need and how to display them.
Review : This book is an excellent guide to suiseki for those relatively new to the art and is sure to even act as a handy reference for the intermediate to advanced. It is well set out, with color photos and detailed illustrations. In fact, it would not be crazy to buy the book for the pictures alone. The book contains suggestions on collecting, chapters on history and classification and presents its information in a clear and concise way. Geology and mineralogy in suiseki figure almost as prominently as aesthetics in Rivera's discussions.
Review : This is a straight-forward book which looks into the basics of viewing stone development, preparation and appreciation. It goes into what you should be looking for when building your collection of suiseki and what defines a high-quality suiseki stone from a low-quality one. Another good thing about this book is the fact that it also deals with the use of suiseki with bonsai, a topic that you usually find little mention of
Review : This book is a fresh, detailed guide to the art of suiseki - from an American perspective. The 'American perspective' refers to the fact that most of the stones shown are from California, and many are outside the traditional Japanese classification scheme. It is an informative book with 60 inspirational color photographs of the author's most prized stones along with detailed captions. Suiseki's relationship with bonsai is also examined, either as a large tree with a small stone, or the reverse, when you want to emphasize the stone. Attractive stones from the author's collection collected around the globe: South Africa, China and Japan, illustrate the universal appeal of these miniature natural wonders. This book was published in limited quantity, so if you want to get a deep insight into suiseki, get a copy soon. If you have any queries, you can email The Bonsai Site . 
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