Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers includes a lot of useful information and clear instructions on how to create your own basic flower arrangements. I find that Ikebana arrangements look lovely and absolutely stunning in any house and this book gives you a great introduction to this art form. It includes all the necessary step-by-step instructions to make many beautiful looking arrangements to surprise your family and friends.

The authors, Shozo Sato and Kasen Yoshimura, provide fascinating facts and easy to use techniques in their book. They give an introduction to the history of Ikebana, from when it started up to the present day. I also like the idea that they talk about the various Ikebana styles, Rikka, Seika, Moribana and Freestyle and their differences.

Another useful feature of the book is that it teaches you about plants that can be used for Ikebana arrangements and their symbolism. The photographs in the book are beautiful to look at and give you an idea on how your finished arrangements should look like.
The book might be slightly more expensive than other Ikebana books you might find, but in my opinion, the book benefits greatly from the valuable input by the two Ikebana expert authors mentioned above.  It is a beautiful book that can guide you through mastering your first steps in this stunning Japanese art form and certainly worth to have a closer look at.