I have a lot of Japanese Godzilla related books in my library. Even in the days before the internet made such international purchases a lot easier, I would shop at our local Kinokuniya bookstore with an eye out for pretty much any profusely illustrated Godzilla related books.
One of my favorite pickups in the early 90s was The Art of Godzilla, featuring work from Godzilla vs King Ghidorah. The book included some amazing work by Shinji Nishikawa, who I had sign it when attending Monsterpalooza in 2014.
You can't really tell from the picture below, but the filmstrip on the right is reproduced on clear acetate through which you can see the title page. I had Nishikawa sign my book on the title page so it would show up beneath the blows up image from the film.
The book has some great illustrations of Mecha-King Ghidorah, as well the Junior version of Godzilla (designed to fall halfway between a dinosaur and the Godzilla we know and love.
When planning for my Monsterpalooza trip, I decided to research whether they did similar volumes for the other Heisei era film. Unfortunately, the only other volume appeared to be The Art of Godzilla vs Mothra. I had to have one, and was able to find one for sale on Amazon Japan. As the convention was about a week away, I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't have it in time to get it autographed. Much to my surprise the book that I had ordered from Japan on a Friday afternoon was in my hands the following Monday, allowing me to bring it to the show to get signed as well.
Unfortunately, they didn't follow the prior volume's acetate in front of the title page, but I was glad not only to find a reasonably priced copy, but to be able to get it signed by Shinji Nishikawa as well!
Be sure to check back next week for something else from my Godzilla collection!
