New Akira Ifukube/Godzilla book coming from McFarland and Company

[Tapkaara]

I thought you all might be interested to know that I (Erik Homenick) will be publishing a book about Akira Ifukube and his Godzilla music with McFarland and Company to be released next year. There is no release date yet, but it'll be during the first half of 2026, I think.

There is no official title yet, but it will be something along the lines of Akira Ifukube's Musical Narratives in Godzilla Films. (This is NOT the title, just a rough idea of what the title may end up looking like. It will be refined in due course.)

The book is not an exhaustive listing and description of each and every single Godzilla score. That would be boring, and it would not serve much of a purpose. Rather, it explores Ifukube's nationalist and anti-modern philosophies and how he weaves them into his Godzilla scores. Therefore, it's a bit more of an "intellectual" book that explores deep themes rather than a shallow book of musical trivia.

This is the first full-length book about Akira Ifukube to be written in a language other than Japanese. The musical analyses in it are based on direct consultation with the rarely seen musical manuscript material prepared by the composer. There will also likely be some rare photos, likely one or two that have never been published before.

Again, there is no release date yet and there is no way to pre-order at this time. But I will keep you all posted with new info as it comes along.

[B34sT]

I’ll be on the lookout for it when it drops. I hope some of Ifukube’s non-Godzilla/sci-fi works also get a mention in this.

[Angilasman]

Fascinating! Can't wait to have it and put it next to the Honda biography on my shelf (and read it, of course!).

[Tapkaara]

I’ll be on the lookout for it when it drops. I hope some of Ifukube’s non-Godzilla/sci-fi works also get a mention in this.

Yes, there is discussion of his concert works and also some discussion about how some concert works overlap with his Godzilla work.

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Fascinating! Can't wait to have it and put it next to the Honda biography on my shelf (and read it, of course!).

Thank you for your support!

The book is not a comprehensive biography of Ifukube, though pertinent biographical information is presented. It's more an exploration of Ifukube's musical style, the philosophies behind that style, his philosophies about Godzilla, etc. I hope you will find it interesting and worthwhile!

[StreamOfKaijuness]

I am very interested in reading this book. We've gotten comprehensive English-language books for Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishiro Honda, so it will be great to finally have a book about Akira Ifukube.

[Tapkaara]

I am very interested in reading this book. We've gotten comprehensive English-language books for Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishiro Honda, so it will be great to finally have a book about Akira Ifukube.

I agree that it will be nice to have a book about Akira Ifukube to go alongside the Tsuburaya book and the Honda book, although it will be different from both of them.

The Tsuburaya book is really a coffee table book or a picture book. It's not a work of scholarship--mostly a book of trivia.

The Honda book is an excellent, comprehensive biography.

This book is neither a picture book nor a comprehensive biography of Ifukube, although there is a fair amount of biographical detail. It is a focused look at Ifukube's artistic nationalism and how this is a key facet of not only his Godzilla music but how it allows us to analyze Godzilla films in interesting ways that are often overlooked. I hope that it adds something new to the conversation.