Buy new:
-31% $13.69
FREE delivery Saturday, May 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$13.69 with 31 percent savings
List Price: $19.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 7 hrs 25 mins
In Stock
$$13.69 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.69
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.45
Signs of wear and consistent use. Signs of wear and consistent use. See less
$3.99 delivery Tuesday, May 21. Details
Or fastest delivery May 16 - 20. Details
Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
$$13.69 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.69
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by GoodwillBooks.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Kakuzō Okakura
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Book of Tea Hardcover – Illustrated, June 20, 2011

by Okakura Kakuzo (Author), Bruce Richardson (Introduction)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 159 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$13.69","priceAmount":13.69,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"69","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"pE2iBb86JextWSeCjx9jgMLalJSup0btPHIF%2B6mlabKe3U2QGG439Nucyc%2BNRCq5136ubYYvTt%2F8uz0j%2BVhn8VZx%2BO%2BiFDNQis8CstJMLGS6wZPtozuQtptRtfjzd9zOQqqbyhWxKPo6elHmr9NFYQ%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.45","priceAmount":7.45,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"45","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"pE2iBb86JextWSeCjx9jgMLalJSup0btt2xn1yaMLaoIBzdBdGeYBuCivACezv31IuzKq9JgaOcoXz5MFL2QoXDVEci5%2Fmcvdnzz%2BTIRuY6O%2Fe64fo0RNYK%2B5p6bBBe2LeU0lDUEnWJG52m4ZmvjZHCW6BH2VvdhVPjSuZtFony6RR0vn%2FnLYA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The original 1906 edition of The Book of Tea is one of the classic texts found on the desks of artists, poets, teaists and Zen Buddhists around the world.  The book has been re-designed and expanded for a contemporary audience.

You will discover the fascinating character of Okakura Kakuzo and the story of how he came to write one of the twentieth century’s most influential books on art, beauty, and simplicity—all steeped in the world’s communal cup of tea. His incredible journey took him from Yokohama to New York, Paris, Bombay, and Boston, where his life intertwined with such luminaries as Rabindranath Tagore, John Singer Sargent, Henry James, John La Farge, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Ezra Pound, and Henri Matisse. His writings influenced the work of such notable artists as Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O'Keeffe.

American tea writer Bruce Richardson includes many historical photographs and illustrations in this updated edition of Okakura’s classic text, along with unique insight into how Okakura's philosophy continues to inspire today’s tea culture. Plus, Richardson includes an all-new chapter on America's thirst for Japanese tea during the late 1800s, illustrated with archival photographs.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    104 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Benjamin Press
  4. Publication date
    June 20, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    8.63 x 0.5 x 9.33 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0983610606
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0983610601
  8. Lexile measure
    1190L
  9. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Book of Tea
$13.69
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 18
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Tea Book: Experience the World’s Finest Teas, Qualities, Infusions, Rituals, Recipes
$15.98
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 18
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties
$25.94
Get it May 30 - Jun 5
Usually ships within 8 to 9 days
Ships from and sold by SuperBookDeals-.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

For those of us who, for years, have loved and been influenced by Okakura's prose and philosophy, this new edition brings fresh insight and clarity to the work. With sensitivity, admiration and profound appreciation for Okakura, Bruce Richardson unravels the complex and intriguing story that lies behind the original Book of Tea. All tea lovers will treasure this beautiful and valuable work. --Jane Pettigrew, London author

Georgia O'Keeffe loved The Book of Tea. The similarities between her own life and the Japanese tea ceremony were obvious- her constant manner, her humility, her exactness, her utterly respectful exactness. --Christine Patten, author of Miss O'Keeffe

Georgia O'Keeffe loved The Book of Tea. The similarities between her own life and the Japanese tea ceremony were obvious- her constant manner, her humility, her exactness, her utterly respectful exactness. --Christine Patten, author of Miss O'Keeffe

Okakura was such a charismatic genius he is called by the Japanese tensin which means teacher; which he certainly was. But they have no word for bridge person, any more than we do in English, yet this describes the essence of Okakura's life work. He bridged cultures that seemed worlds apart, interpreting Japan and Asian ways to the West and in Japan itself finally achieving the honored status of tensin. The Book of Tea is only the best known of his monuments. What a life story is now revealed to us!

Bruce Richardson resurrects Okakura's life and times by means of exquisitely chosen and reproduced illustrations. It is rare for writing as exquisite as Okakura's to be illustrated just as exquisitely and this Benjamin Press Edition of The Book of Tea is in its own right a landmark in the art of bookmaking. We look through Mr. Richarson's educated eye at period photos and portraits from the time Okakura at 24 sailed from Yohohama to San Francisco in 1886. Already an enfant terrible in the Japanese art world, he was eager to discover new worlds - America and Europe - where his impact was to prove scarcely less epochal than it had been on his abandoned native soil.

Richardson also shows us how Okakura inspired and influenced several generations of American genius--very much including Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O'Keeffe--through The Book of Tea. Why has all this been kept secret up til now?

This new edition represents a work of generosity and love on the part of Bruce Richardson: It is a beautiful work of art in tribute to a beautiful work of art. --James Norwood Pratt's review in TeaTime magazine

From the Inside Flap

Okakura Kakuzo was born in the bustling seaport of Yokohama in 1862, only eight years after Commodore Perry's "Black Ships" pried open Japan's international trade gates. Christian missionaries taught him to speak English and sing Methodist hymns, while Buddhist monks schooled him in Confucianism and drinking green tea. Working alongside his teachers at Tokyo University, all imported from New England, Okakura helped save Japan's artistic traditions from being tossed aside in favor of modern Western aesthetics.

By the turn of the twentieth century, Okakura had made his way to Boston, where he became the Director of the Asian Arts Department at the Museum of Fine Arts and the favorite companion of Back Bay society's grande dame, Isabella Stewart Gardner. Okakura found tea to be the perfect metaphor for interpreting the Japanese art spirit to a Boston culture thirsty for a counterpoint to America's headlong rush into materialism and wealth. The Book of Tea was first published in 1906 and has never been out of print. It is one of the most influential books ever written for those looking to infuse the tea spirit into their lives.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Benjamin Press; 2nd edition (June 20, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 104 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0983610606
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0983610601
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1190L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.17 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.63 x 0.5 x 9.33 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 159 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Kakuzō Okakura

Kakuzō Okakura

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
159 global ratings
Cha Tao Insight!
5 Stars
Cha Tao Insight!
So, Mrs. Morse said that The Book of Tea is not about tea? Haha! Another fine pine koan! We will leaf it at that and not needle her about it.The introduction and ancillary chapters in this edition are interesting reading, for sure, but at the same time if you want to buy a copy of The Bible you may not need the appended concordance etc. This book is excellent and has its place, and one must appreciate the art and photos and the unique insights which you will not find elsewhere of Okakura probably. Totally fascinating. Yet, if one is seeking a copy for their tea room then a copy that is empty of other words besides the original text may be what you seek but not sure where you will find one with the same well matched art as here sans the other chapters? I don't regret buying it as it is captivating, but perhaps the next step may be simply to take the Okakura text and decorate a copy with some calligraphy and watercolor as part of the tea meditations. So much truth and understanding to be found in Okakura's words. A Tea Taoist will love this book!
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Crilly Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Book in the Perfect Format
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love hardbacks, and the quality of this edition is spectacular. I love the book itself, but with the addition of a superb forward providing a detailed context for the author and his life, as well as an informative afterward describing the early tea industry in Japan, it was even better than expected!
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Fred
5.0 out of 5 stars An open window into the tea gardens of Japan.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is the second version of "The Book of Tea" I have owned. This version has some good photographs and an extensive introduction. This book is a must have for anyone with any level of interest in Taoism, Zen, Teaism, Tea, or Japanese culture and it's relations with the West. The writer also includes a chapter on art appreciation and flower arrangement, and the influence of Teaism on those particular arts, among others.

Okakura Kakuzo was a wordsmith beyond poetic in his prose descriptions of the Orient. His observations about America and western ways are incisive and deep. There is a reason he is so revered by those who know.
17 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
kennethb
5.0 out of 5 stars an important moment in Art
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2013
Verified Purchase
Okakura Kakuzo was an important influence on the Gardner circle to this day and his insights brought a clarity to the movement toward the modern age and the wisdom of the past setting a precursor to the spirit of the modern soon to emerge at the Armory show. this book, only outwardly about tea, calls to the artistic spirit in all. a good edition of a timeless classic belonging in the library of every artist- though it will spend most of its time in studio, or at bedside.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Anca Olteanu
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s not a book about tea.
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
I’m interested in the influence of Japanese design on the Frank Lloyd Wright work. I found many interesting perspectives on the Japanese esthetic, but also on the Americans who were attracted to the Japanese art and helped build several collections in the IS.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cassy
5.0 out of 5 stars It's not just about a cup of tea!
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2014
Verified Purchase
A great book for anyone who enjoys learning more about the mingling of eastern and western cultures. Okakura made a statement in the Boston area, and he influenced many greats such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Georgia O' Keeffe. This book was a gift, and it surprised me, you can't judge a book by it's cover!
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Richard C
5.0 out of 5 stars Japan
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very informative and extremely interesting insight into the Japanese culture. I would definitely recommend this book.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
poX
5.0 out of 5 stars Intro is as good as the original book
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
Well written. Enjoyed the historical context portion as much as the original text.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Dee Dee
3.0 out of 5 stars The cover had an ink smeer on it.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
When I buy a new book, I like it to look pristine. Instead, there was a smudge several inches long on the outside cover.
Helpful
 Report