This book is a good basic start for the beginner (me!) Bonsai enthusiast. It is well organized, the graphics are a super plus. It is a handy and compact reference that is easy and comprehensive.

This book provides the beginner with all of the basic knowledge of the art needed to get started. If I had the option, I would have rated it 4 1/2 stars.

What I like best about the book is the many photos it has of the different plants and bonsai styles. This book will help you develop your bonsai taste because of the variety that it presents to the reader.

It is also an excellent quick reference, it provides the reader the basic needs of each of the trees presented as well as suitable styles and propagation methods. The information is presented in a quick and concise manner for each of the different trees.

About 76 pages of the book is used in presenting the A-Z of bonsai species, the rest of the book is used to present the basic skills and knowledge that you will need to maintain your plant.

The only thing that this book lacks is a "how to" styling guide. That said, I would strongly recommend that anyone who may think that they would be interested in bonsai should buy this book. The pictures are beautiful and even if you go no further in the craft it has a lot of good information about the various plants presented. For the more advanced bonsai artist, this book is a valuable quick reference.

This is a great first book to have!

This book is essentially the compacted version of Tomlinson's "The Complete Bonsai". The wealth of full color images is just as descrptive (though much smaller), and the text much abridged, but if you are looking for a quick yet comprehensive reference, this book will fulfill your needs. I would highly recommend it to anyone considering taking up the art of bonsai. It covers various species and techniques in enough deatil to get anyone going, as well as keep a novice well-informed. It also would make a handy quick refence for any bonsai artist, though it does not go into extreme detail about any techniques. Overall I would call it a very complete overview and chock full of value for the price.

I am a novice Bonsai enthusiast with little prior horticultural experience. Harry Tomlinson's book is an excellent starting point for practicing the art of Bonsai. There are numerous illustrative photographs throughout the text displaying the basic techniques of tree maintenance. In addition to instruction in the basic skills necessary for successful cultivation there are also in depth descriptions on each of the suitable species delineating appropriate styling, pruning, potting, watering, and propagation methods for each. Overall, a comprehensive first source.

This was a very helpful introduction and has motivated me to jump in and try it. The book is British, and a number of the species suggested are similar to but not exactly the same as the ones I see in northeast US. So, you might want to get a second opinion on species. The other question I asked myself was what I need to do for harsh winters. I've had trouble with potted trees that I've left outside and above ground (even though they were within the correct zone), and I'd expect bonsai to be vulnerable, too.

I recently grew an iterest in bonsai and decided to do some research before I killed any trees. I work in a library and found nearly a dozen bonsai titles that I poured myself into. Overall, I found this one to be the best single title one would want to buy to get started in the art. Overall, the book is very helpful in showing you step by step photos and diagrams for every aspect of creating and maintaining a tree. My favorite part about this book is the species guide. There are many, many species, each with one or two full pages dedicated to it, each listing watering, feeding, soil composition, etc... along with a very beautiful specimine to inspire you.

For someone who is just starting out or just beginning to cultivate an interest in Bonsai this book may be helpful. Fairly simple with excellent pictures this is not the book for delving into the hobby and doesn't offer expert technical fixes for bonsai enthusiasts.

What it does offer is a fairly broad, superficial glance at an addicting art form. For the price, you should buy this, especially if you are just starting out. Reading about the subject before starting out, especially for bonsai, is essential. For this reason alone "101 Essential Tips: Bonsai" is a good addition to your bonsai knowledge base.

If you have passed the beginners stage of bonsai this will, most likely, not augment your bonsai know-how. More experienced people would benefit from other books written by Harry Tomilson. Experienced with the traditions of bonsai, some of his other books may be what you are looking for.

If you like Bonsai, or received one as a gift, this is the book to get. Filled with 101 (literally) facts and tips, it is concise, streamlined and offers excellent pictures.

All critical areas are covered in the book: potting, trimming, shaping, wiring, feeding, watering (the most important perhaps!). If you want to take a crack at an advanced level of Bonsai care, it even guides and discusses growing the roots onto rock, and hanging patterns. There's also a few great tips that clears up the confusion about what sort of tools you *really* need.

This is a MUST to add to your Bonsai book collection.

I am just starting out in this hobby. I went to the bookstore and looked at many books before picking this one out. Most were priced at twenty dollars or more and I just didn't want to spend that much for something I was just getting into. I checked out several books from the library and read them, including another larger book by the same author. After reading them, I looked through this one and felt that most of the really important info in the larger books was in this one as well with less words and pictures. I am really happy with this book. The photos are clear and informative, and the information is just what I need to get started. Sometimes when starting out, it is better not to get too bogged down in details or you will never dive in. I think this book is just the thing to get a beginner started without making the whole bonsai thing seem out of reach and demanding. Eventually, I can see I will want a guide with more info on individual plants and their care, but this will get me started, and at a great price.

I'd personally give this book 3 1/2 stars but that apparently isn't an option. Harrison writes a good book that is enjoyable and fun to read, but he lacks some important elements that makes a truly good alternate history book. As was true in Stars & Stripes Forever, the first 80-125 pages are all techincal detail that bored me to death. While the remainder of it is action packed, it always seems that the Americans are victorious at all times with out so much as a scratch on them while the British get destroyed time and time again and seem to have little to no tactics. He does a good job with some of the characters like Gustavus Fox (head of military intelligence), General Sherman and President Lincoln, almost all the others are dead ends with little to no real information on them. People like Fredrick Douglas, General Meagher of the Irish Brigade, General Lee and Grant could have been brought into much more detail. While I would recommend this book as a good book to read, I don't feel this book nor his previous one can measure up to some of the greater Alternate History works.

I agree with other reviewers that Mr. Harrison's ideas are interesting, but the manner in which they are put forth are very mediocre and flat. What I noticed most was how in a number of scenes, the author would have two people conversing, and then either change the identity of one of the characters or change their military rank in mid-conversation. It leads me to believe that Mr. Harrison's proof-reader was either not very diligent or didn't exist...or perhaps he gave up. For example, in a conversation between General Bragg and a major of the 29th Connecticut, the general refers to the major as a major, until he says something to the effect of, "grab your bag captain." This happens several other times. In his previous book in this series, a conversation between President Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward became a conversation between Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton.

This book and it's series is a quick, breezy read. They should not be taken for anything else but that. The historical element to this series is paper thin. The laughable way the author puts American leaders on a pedestal and the British in the gutter reminds me of a really bad World War Two movie where all the Americans are big strapping boys from the Midwest and Brooklyn, while all the Japanese are buck-toothed, wear coke bottle bottom eyeglasses, and speak pidgin English.

Bad Britain, bad, bad Britain.

Harry Harrison's "Stars & Stripes In Peril" excels as a textbook example of what might have happened if the United States had launched a blitzkrieg invasion of Ireland during the early 1860's. Harrison is at his best when he describes the American campaign and its hard fought battles on land and sea. Yet this book does show many of the same problems as its predecessor, especially with regards to character development. Yet there is at least one memorable character, Don Ambrosio O'Higgins, who is more compelling than historical figures such as Lincoln, Lee or Grant. Yet this is a fine page turner, and one I'd recommend for a quick read. If you want a more substantial novel of alternative history, choose any of the ones recently written by Harry Turtledove.