FEATURED BOOK REVIEW

Privately published with LuLu Press, Inc. 190 pages, ISBN:978-1-300-16072-4. 

This self-published book is unlike most other volumes published on stone appreciation in recent years. It is not an exhibition catalog, nor a compilation of photographs of stones. Suiseki Stories represents a new chapter in the short history in North America and Europe of admiring and cherishing stones solely for their aesthetic qualities and abilities to suggest something greater than just a rock. It is a volume of seventy stories about stones, primarily from the USA and Japan, from 26 collectors. Some of the featured rocks are well known to experienced collectors, and have been previously published and exhibited. 

The stories, sometimes detailed, tell how the stones were acquired, former owners, what the collector sees in each stone, and what the stones means to them. This volume is strongly influenced by Japanese suiseki practices. For decades, western stone collectors have tired to interpret and reinterpret what leading Japanese suiseki connoisseurs and dealers had written or spoken about Japanese stones. Some western collectors became so focused on trying to fit every stone neatly into one of the artificial categories used to classify stones that they lost sight of the more important aspects of stone appreciation. That is, the viewing experience, the feeling a stone generates in a viewer’s mind, how a stone is linked to past literature or famous collectors, and learning how to display stones to maximize that experience are more important than classification schemes. The story about how a special rock was acquired, the history of a stone that has passed from one collector to another and its record of being exhibited or featured in a book adds immense meaning. That is the value of Suiseki Stores. It is a sign of the level of the increasing maturation among North America and European stone collectors. 

In many ways, this book is a fitting tribute to the late Mas Nakajima, Sam Edge’s mentor. The leading story about a stone “Tea Bowl” is touching. Other contributors in this volume also reference Nakajima. Daniela Schifano’s stone “Red Cliff,” and how it evokes feelings that tie it to a famous Chinese poet is a good example of how a stone can be interpreted. Some of the stone stories are more personal than others such as Jim Greaves’ “Alice Stone.” But all of stories show how serious collectors came to love and appreciate their prized rocks. This is true for included stones that have been bottom cut or worked to appear natural.