Allen S. Weiss teaches in the departments of Performance Studies and Cinema Studies at New York University. He is the author of numerous books, including Mirrors of Infinity: The French Formal Garden and 17th-century Metaphysics (1995), Feast and Folly: Cuisine, Intoxication, and the Poetics of the Sublime (2002) and Varieties of Audio Mimesis: Musical Evocations of Landscape (2008).
His text, illustrated with images so subtle you can scarcely tell if they are in colour or black and white, helps us move our understanding on a step. Rich in imagery and reference, it explores the interface between Japan's gardens and the ceramics made both there and, in modern times, elsewhere. . . . A book to read time and again. --Historic Gardens Review The first in depth Western study that looks at the relationship that exists between gardens and ceramics, suggesting new theories of representation and, above all, presenting ideas that may change the way we view such places. . . . lush color photos. --Japan Times In this thoughtful work, Allen Weiss examines closely the relationship of elements found in a Japanese Zen garden. . . . Weiss is particularly sensitive to the role of different objects and features, creating what he calls a Gesamtkunstwerk, a 'web of correspondences.' . . . Excellent photographs of various features of Zen gardens illustrate the pages. --Chicago Botanic Garden One can learn a lot about Japanese art and culture from this well-illustrated, attractive book. --Garden Design Journal