Word of this just hit my desk. The first book from the famous August Ragone himself, of the legendary Henshin! Online. Click here to snag it up as the perfect Christmas gift for the Toku Fan in your life or just for yourself as the gift you know you so richly deserve. If it’s got August’s name on it, you know you’ll be getting the best and more for your buck, so don’t pass this up.

This coming Sunday, November 4th, author August Ragone will be
appearing at an in-store signing for the release of his first book,
EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTER, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm at
Border’s Books in the Stonestown Galleria (233 Winston Drive, San
Francisco, CA 94132). Former “Creature Features” host, author John
Stanley, will be joining him to sign copies of his latest book, “I Was
a TV Horror Host.”

EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTER is marching into better retailers
near you as you read this from the world-renown Chronicle Books. “Who
is Eiji Tsuburaya,” you might ask? Tsuburaya (1901-1970) was one of
the technical pioneers of Japanese Cinema in the Silent Era, who went
on to create the visual effects for GODZILLA and ULTRAMAN. This
official 208-page, heavily-illustrated (200 images), coffeetable
hardcover, is the first fully-authorized book of its kind published
outside of Japan, and is the first biography of this important figure
of Japanese Cinema ever written in any language other than Japanese!

Already available in Canada, EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS, is
receiving positive reviews: “The difference between this book and
other coffee table volumes that have covered daikaiju before, though,
is the staggeringly researched detail that Ragone has put into the
text itself. This is not just a picture book to flip through, nod
approvingly at and stick on the shelf; this is a record easily in
scale with the monsters Tsuburaya created—a critical and historical
look at the creation and output of an industry that spanned (and has
continued to span) the decades.” – Tooth & Dagger.com

Tim Lucas, publisher and editor of the award-winning Video Watchdog
magazine had this to say about the author, “There is so much writing
in English on Japanese cinema that can’t be accepted at face
value–not because the writers are careless, but because the
differences in culture and language are just too intricate. When I
see August Ragone’s name on a piece of writing, it gives me
permission to place my faith in it completely. Among Japanese fantasy
film historians, he’s the best working in English.”

More signings to be announced in the near future — stay tuned! If you
live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area and can’t make it, you can
also pre-order your own copy today from Amazon.com!
http://www.amazon.com/Tsuburaya/dp/0811860787/