Simplicity Book

As a student of Japanese calligraphy, I try to keep up with the English-language publications on the subject, so that I can either refer others to the book or warn them not to buy it. This book has a lot of the philosophy behind shodo (and other Japanese arts), although presented in what I consider a old-fashioned way. Part of this may be due to when the book was written, in the late 1980's, when there was far less knowledge in the US about Japanese art and culture. A lot of the author's advice does make practical sense in the application of the art of brush calligraphy, and in that way, the book is useful. I'm not too impressed with the calligraphy examples he offers--his style is rushed and sloppy--but that may be due to the fact I trained under another school and with different emphasis. Shodo is an art that subject to extremely wide interpretations. The book is certainly worth reading, but not that great as an exemplar.