Japanese Garden Design

I really liked the book. However, it is important to know that about 90% of the book is about HISTORY of japanese garden. It is not a guide on gardening. The book does not dedicate any paragraph on Japanese Maple, for example. The photos are beautiful, the printing is great, the content and language are top notch. I recommend it for lovers of history and japanese gardens.

Mark P Keane offers the most comprehensive historical account of an ever-changing concept in Japanese Gardens. The book is written for those who want to experience the philosophy behind the many different examples of these Cultural and Political Reflections in nature.

This is a wonderful book. I ordered the Kindle version first, but honestly, it is a joke compared to the physical copy. The book is beautifully illustrated, which is lost in the digital version, to the point that certain tables are blurred/pixelated beyond recognition. If you are really interrested in the topic, do yourself a favour and order a physical copy.The book itself imho is a real gem. It obtains a short and concise cultural history of Japan. Further, it explains how cultural changes in this history had an impact on the design and reception of gardens, and explains many motivs used in Japanese garden design. I would say that you can learn as much about Japanese culture and thinking in the book, as about Japan's gardens.It easily became one of my favourite books on this topic. There are books which explain Japanese gardening from a more practical perspective (as e.g. Oguchi's "Create your own Japanese garden", which is a perfect practical companion to this book), but to get a deeper understanding of these gardens this book is more than useful. The illustrations are also fantastic.

Ok

Erudite book detailing the history design and philosophical ethos of Japanese garden design, its roots in natural landscape, seascape, Bhuddist principles and concepts. Short on illustration but long on theory, so not so much a practical design guide.