The Bonsai Workshop (Our Garden Variety) (ISBN 0806905573)

Very well written book:
The book is very well done and informative. Technically, I don't think I'd call this book for the total beginner as it doesn't go into a lot of detail as to types of trees. It does briefly mention types of trees that work as bonsai, but doesn't give care sheets and the like found in some other bonsai books. The workshops are good in the book, however, it would have been better if the formatting was not so confusing. You tend to see pictures either before or after the text and that does cause some consternation. All things considered though, this is a really helpful book and one definitely worth buying.

IT I S IRREPLACABLE FOR ME:
After many starts which led to complete disasters for me, this book finally gave the information I need to get started in this wonderful art. The instructions are great for a beginner like myself. The combinaiton of written, step by step direcitons along with the wonderful photographs makes this book a joy to work with. I cannot say if this is a good book for the advanced student, as I am far, far from that category, but I can say without a doubt that it is great for beginners. It certainly answered all of my questions. This book was far better than any other I purchased on the subject! Thank you SO much Mr Gustafson!

The Best Bonsai Book!!:
I was mostly...unimpressed by the bonsai books you normally find in a book store, so I asked my mentor(world famous) for a good suggestion for a book. He suggested this book. I went out and bought it. It is so easy to understand. It made the hardest stuff seem easy. It put everything that would seem extremely difficult into words even a beginner could understand. I used this book to save a tree that was almost killed by Hurricane Katrina! Using this book I still havn't lost a single tree.

Excellent Resource for Beginners:
Interested in bonsai but clueless on where to begin? This book makes an excellent starting point. It clearly and concisely explains the basic "rules" - which the author advises the reader to learn, practice, then feel free to ignore as their confidence and creativity take over. Every basic area, from tools to pots, from soil to common plant choices, are explained and illustrated with hundreds of drawings and color photographs. If you decide to truly pursue the art of bonsai this book alone will not be enough - you will need to draw upon other books and build a resource library. But, for your first introduction to the hobby, I highly recommend this "workshop".

great for beginning to intermediate levels:
this is a great way to get someone into bonsai. herb gustafson, in this and his other books, does a great job of walking through different necessities (food, light, watering, tools, etc.) and techniques using several examples. he also gives information without seeming biased towards one style or type of plant, but shares all with the reader. definitely worth getting, even if you're not sure about getting into bonsai.