This book contains so many sensuous color photographs by Mark Seelen that it will take your breath away. The Japanese crafts of bamboo basket making and flower arranging are expressive of the spiritual values of detachment, appreciation of the commonplace, acceptance of the ephemeral, and acknowledgment of life's mysteries. Oster examines in detail the variety of styles, shapes, and sizes of bamboo baskets before moving on to the art of ikebana, the Way of the Flowers. These arrangements celebrate the beauty of the natural world and the elements of restraint, simplicity, balance, and rhythm.