A Brief History Of Manga Released Monday

If you're curious about dipping your toes into the world of Japanese comics or Manga, but don't know where to start, this new book might be just what you're looking for. A Brief History Of Manga from Ilex publishing, is aimed at new fans and curious outsiders looking to discover the artform for the first time. Helping you navigate the exciting but sometimes daunting oceans of material is Helen McCarthy the UK's leading expert in anime and Japanese culture.

McCarthy has decades of experience, having founded Britain's first  magazine dedicated to the medium Anime UK/FX She went on to edit Manga Mania and published some of the first English language books on the subject including Anime: A Beginner's Guide To Japanese Animation, The Art Of Osamu Tezuka and Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, all of which are well worth reading. This is why we suspect the book will be well worth picking up, whether you're a newbie or an long-time fan. The book is released May 26th 2014, and can be   ordered here

(Fun Fact: It was Ms McCarthy's Column Anime World in much-loved 90's SNES mag Super Play that introduced a certain AFA editor to the world of anime.)


Later in the year Stone Bridge Press are due to publish the latest revised edition of The Anime Encyclopedia. Written by McCarthy with the equally excellent (and fellow Anime UK alumni), Jonathan Clements, the previous two editions were perhaps the definitive publications in the field. The  The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation will be likely be just as essential as previous incarnations (although the hardback currently carries a rather hefty cover price).