BOOK OF TEA (COLLECTORS LIBRARY)

This short book, written in English by a Japanese scholar and artist, was first published in 1906 at a time when Japan was opening up to Western culture. Okakura Kakuzo describes in detail the different aspects of the tea ceremony, how it was founded, the role of the tea masters, the architecture of the tea-room and the stages of making and serving tea. He goes on to explain the connection between Taoism and Zen with tea, and he also writes chapters on art appreciation and the art of flower arranging.