The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker's Reflections - Softcover

Nakashima, George

4.46

379 ratings by Goodreads

9784770014030: The Soul of a Tree: A Woodworker's Reflections

Softcover

ISBN 10: 4770014031 ISBN 13: 9784770014030

Publisher: Kodansha International Ltd, 1988

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A beautiful book in which a remarkable Japanese American craftsman and philosopher impresses us with his devotion to discovering the inherent beauty of wood, so that noble trees might have a second life as furniture. The first part of this meditative book reveals the development of Nakashima as a spiritual artist and the influence of life in an Indian ashram in the 1930s. The second part reveals the inner truth and nature of the different trees with which he works, whilst the third part explores the skills by which the wood is reborn as furniture. A soft back book with illustrated dust jacket and plain dark brown covers with white lettering. Aside from very slight bumps to the edges of the jacket and the cover it is in excellent condition. The interior is clean and tight, with clear text on clean pages, attractive photographs, many in rich colour, and fine b/w line illustrations..

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Review:

"An impressive book that effectively conveys the textural qualities and sensitivity of this master craftsman's use of wood" --The New York Times "Today's increasing reverence for nature, truth, simplicity and the independent spirit makes the life, work and philosophy of George Nakashima especially meaningful."--Town & Country "From [Nakashima's] tables and chairs flows the unadorned beauty of the rhythms of nature."--Smithsonian "George Nakashima, the foremost master of the craft."--Time "Part woodworking manual, part philosophical journal, this book is as unique as author and woodworking legend George Nakashima's exquisite furniture." --This Old House magazine "An impressive book that effectively conveys the textural qualities and sensitivity of this master craftsman's use of wood" -The New York Times"Today's increasing reverence for nature, truth, simplicity and the independent spirit makes the life, work and philosophy of George Nakashima especially meaningful."-Town & Country"From [Nakashima's] tables and chairs flows the unadorned beauty of the rhythms of nature."-Smithsonian"George Nakashima, the foremost master of the craft."-Time "An impressive book that effectively conveys the textural qualities and sensitivity of this master craftsman's use of wood" -The New York Times "Today's increasing reverence for nature, truth, simplicity and the independent spirit makes the life, work and philosophy of George Nakashima especially meaningful."-Town & Country "From [Nakashima's] tables and chairs flows the unadorned beauty of the rhythms of nature."-Smithsonian "George Nakashima, the foremost master of the craft."-Time "An impressive book that effectively conveys the textural qualities and sensitivity of this master craftsman's use of wood" -The New York Times "Today's increasing reverence for nature, truth, simplicity and the independent spirit makes the life, work and philosophy of George Nakashima especially meaningful."-Town & Country "From [Nakashima's] tables and chairs flows the unadorned beauty of the rhythms of nature."-Smithsonian "George Nakashima, the foremost master of the craft."-Time

About the Author:

GEORGE NAKASHIMA, woodworker and architectural designer, is a native of Seattle, Washington. A graduate of MIT in architecture, he worked briefly in New York, then traveled to Paris, Tokyo, and India. It was while in Japan that he was sent on an extended architectural assignment to Pondicherry, India, where he designed Golconda, the primary disciples' residence at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, which was his first major architectural project. Running a small integrated business near New Hope, Pennsylvania, since 1943, Mr. Nakashima's major commissions include furnishings for the country home of the late Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller, Pocantico Hills, in Tarrytown, New, York, and interiors for Columbia University, Mt. Holyoke College, the International Paper Corporation, and the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abiquiu, New Mexico, for which he also provided the architectural design. Featured in such publications as Smithsonian, Town & Country, House Beautiful, Life, and Fine Woodworking, Mr. Nakashima has exhibited at many institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the Nelson Gallery, Kansas City; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was awarded the Gold Medal for craftsmanship by the American Institute of Architects in 1952, was named a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1979, received the 1981 Hazlett Award, and in 1989 will be the first honoree in a series of major retrospective exhibitions of "America's Living National Treasures" at the American Craft Museum. GEORGE WALD, Higgins Professor of Biology Emeritus at Harvard University, has been a close friend of George Nakashima for many years. He was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1967 for his work on mechanisms of vision. He spends most of his time now in what he thinks of as "survival politics"-the sharp struggle to preserve life upon this planet: human, animal, and plant.

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