The emphasis here is on Bonsai, and other plant material that is treated is repeatedly related to Bonsai, for effect, methods, importance, etc. Included, for example, are some herbaceous plants (begonias, philodendron, geraniums, African violets, for instance), all amenable to shaping, and many used in hanging baskets. Here too are succulents of some sorts, epiphytes for planting in driftwood, material used for group plantings in miniature, for dish gardens, for cascades (chrysanthemums here) and for topiary (not as a landscaping feature). Pruning and shaping methods adapted to American needs from Japanese techniques, root pruning, soils, selection of appropriate plants (and where to find them), the need for expert skill, experience, devotion -- all this makes this a sharply limited, highly specialized book. But it belongs in an area of fast growing interest, fostered by garden clubs and flower shows.