manga’s first century

Manga’s First Century available worldwide!

/ ahorbinski
Cover of Manga’s First Century with the gold “Will Eisner Winner” sticker.

Manga’s First Century is now available worldwide! If you haven’t gotten yours yet, you can order a copy at any bookstore, large or small. While supplies last, signed copies are available from Books with Pictures Portland.

Thank you to everyone who’s already bought a copy. As always, a great way to support me and the book is to leave a rating or a review online–more ratings and reviews helps the book be more visible to the algorithm and thus to more readers who might enjoy it. And it’s always a great time to request that your local library purchase a copy.

Manga’s First Century out next week in North America + events!

/ ahorbinski

Manga’s First Century is out next Tuesday, October 28, in North America, and copies are starting to ship from warehouses. You can still preorder a copy!

For those who have read the book, please do consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews help the book get noticed by the algorithm so that more people can find out about its existence.

For those with tight budgets (and isn’t that all of us these days), please do consider requesting your local library purchase the book for their collection. A purchase request means the book will be available to everyone in your library system and beyond.

Events!

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be doing an AMA on r/askhistorians next Wednesday, October 29. Starting at 9am Eastern, you can ask me your questions about manga history and I’ll respond over the course of the day.

I’ll also be giving a book talk in Brussels in the last week of November, and I’ll probably be doing some more events in the Bay Area in winter 2026. Stay tuned!

Manga’s First Century preorders available now!

/ ahorbinski

I’m delighted to announce that Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989 is now available for preorder at retailers worldwide! It’s available in paperback, ebook, and hardcover, although the hardcover is priced (and intended) for academic libraries. The paperback first printing also includes 12 pages of full-color images, which will probably never be reprinted again.

New book: Manga’s First Century

/ ahorbinski

I’m thrilled to announce at long last that I have signed a book contract and MANGA’S FIRST CENTURY: HOW CREATORS AND FANS MADE JAPANESE COMICS, 1905-1989 is now officially under contract to the University of California Press. At present it’s planned to be released in 2025. Stay tuned for more about it as release gets nearer!