enodenlover Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) For those of you who are fans of Goji and all his kaiju friends and foes, I'd like to recommend the book "Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters" by August Ragone. This is a well-researched informative volume with hundreds of photos, many of them rare behind-the-scenes shots from the first sixteen years of Toho's giant monster movies. It first came out in 2007 as a $40 hardcover but there is a less expensive soft cover edition too, as well as used copies on eBay. Highly recommended for the Godzilla lovers among us. Edited January 12, 2017 by enodenlover 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) Moved this to its own thread as I thought it might start some discussion and help for future searches. Edited January 12, 2017 by cteno4 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Ordered! Also on Amazon https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/1452135398/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A216INSAF6WAZ6 Also stumbled on The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: Vol. 1: 1954-1980 (Volume 1) Paperback – July 31, 2016 by John LeMay https://smile.amazon.com/Book-Japanese-Giant-Monster-Movies/dp/1536827886/ref=pd_lutyp_cxhsh_1_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1536827886&pd_rd_r=DY413J72XTD700JDWHVE&pd_rd_w=uzbgZ&pd_rd_wg=y9eKQ&psc=1&refRID=DY413J72XTD700JDWHVE#customerReviews And Found this one in the interlibrary loan so ordered it to check out A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series, 2d ed. https://smile.amazon.com/Critical-History-Filmography-Tohos-Godzilla/dp/0786447494/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2RT343BR4P2R9YMYD0FJ And more than I ever thought were out there! Thanks, Jeff 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 14, 2017 Share Posted January 14, 2017 Wow, just got the Eiji Tsuburaya: master of monsters book and it's great! Looks very nicely done and the bits I read here and there look well written and photos are great. If you are a goji fan this is a great addition to your collection. it's really nicely done with a very elegant style that makes it look nice and not dry but not overdone or hard to read. Thanks for the find enodenlover! Cheers, Jeff Link to comment
enodenlover Posted January 14, 2017 Author Share Posted January 14, 2017 You have the Tsuburaya book already? Wow, that's fast service. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I do. There are a number of other English language books dealing with Japanese science fiction movies, and here are four that I have and recommend: "Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films" by Stuart Galbraith IV "Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo" also by Galbraith "Japan's Favorite Mon-star" by Steve Ryfle "The Art of Japanese Monsters" by Sean Linkenback. This book is a real hoot, 240 pages all in color with repros of hundreds of theatrical posters from all over the world from Japanese monster movies. All of Toho's kaijus are in there along with beloved beasties from competing studios like Gamera, Gappa and Guilala. My friend Ed Godziszewski recently completed a detailed biography of Ishiro Honda and expects it to be published sometime this year. Ed is fortunate enough to have a job that takes him to Japan two or three times a year and has met and interviewed quite a few of the people involved with these films over the years. I've been lucky enough to meet a few myself at conventions in this country. 1 Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 Yes it was quick and worth it! Oh man so many tempting books! The art of Japanese monsters got me and I had to order a copy! I was just looking at making some small prints to do a little decoration in the half bathroom of old goji posters! Man you are locked into the kiajus scene! Chicago seems to be the ground zero for the goji scene here in the us. In the 60s as a kid I was completely sucked into Godzilla movies and ultraman! Thanks again! jeff Link to comment
enodenlover Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 You're right about Chicago, it can be considered "ground zero" for American kaiju fandom. Every summer for the past 23 years, suburban Rosemont ( near O'Hare airport ) has hosted G Fest, the national convention for fans of Japanese science fiction and monster movies. This year G Fest XXIV will be held July 14 - 16 and will as usual have celebrity guests involved in kaiju films along with an enormous dealer room with thousands of toys, models and videos of Godzilla, Ultraman and all the other beasties for sale. I've been to about a dozen of these events and I always have a great time. My biggest thrill at a G Fest was getting to meet Akira Takarada, the only surviving star of the original GOJIRA / GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS in 1954, the movie that started all this. In 2000 I met Haruo Nakajima, the stuntman inside the Godzilla suit in his first nine films, at a sci-fi convention in New Jersey; another big thrill. Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 I've looked sideways at g-fest a few times! Someday I want to go. Got back to a Star Trek convention in December after not going to one for like 20+ years and it was great. G fest would be fun! Jeff Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I has splurged and got this book https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0991459911/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Very fun! I love movie posters and especially Godzilla posters and this is the book for sure. Well done and all the poster versions from around the world for each movie listed! Couple of other Godzilla books also came via state interlibrary loan. Our county, even being the most affluent int eh state and one of the most affluent in the nation usually has about 1 in 5 things I look for (they tend to be more obscure). Baffles me as I think we spend way more on our libraries than all the other counties, I expect though it's to buy 100 copies of the times best sellers... Godzilla on my mind - fun narrative of Godzilla history A critical history and filmography of toho's godzilla movies - the academic tome on all the goji movies. Fun to browse but a bit much unless you want every detail and analysis of ever movie! Jeff 1 Link to comment
enodenlover Posted January 25, 2017 Author Share Posted January 25, 2017 (edited) I'm glad that you're enjoying "The Art of Japanese Monsters" so much, Jeff. It is a really great book. Since my little layout is set in the mid '50s, I'm thinking about shrinking down one of the Japanese posters for 1955's GOJIRA NO GYAKUSHU ( released as GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER or GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN in the US ) and using it on a fence or the side of a building. A neat way to establish the layout's time period, at least for Gojiraphiles like myself. BTW, the film's Japanese title translates to "Counterattack of Godzilla". Bob Edited January 25, 2017 by enodenlover Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Or set it later and could just be a revival house with a goji festival and lots of posters! It is a lovely book, I'm a sucker for those types. Been reading some of the critical history book but each movie entry is written so it could stand on its own, so many of the larger points are this repeated and explained over and over. Always a problem with content like this. But interesting, I think I've reached my fill on it and will move onto Godzilla on my mind, better narrative style and lighter. Jeff Link to comment
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