August Ragone's Master of Monsters is the first book published outside of Japan to examine the life and work of special-effects master Eiji Tsuburaya. While today's big-budget CGI creations often relegate previous styles to the realm of kitsch, Ragone's account is an insightful look at the innovation and technology behind one of the industry's pioneering craftsmen. Tsuburaya is still widely honored in Japan, but his international recognition is often eclipsed by his iconic creatures: from Godzilla and Mothra to Booska and Ultraman, these unforgettable characters represent the height of kaiju culture and presage the modern taste for nightmarish chaos and catastrophe. And yet, as Ragone tells it, the story behind their construction is as engrossing as their infamous acts of destruction.

Born in 1901, Tsuburaya first began working as a cameraman in Japan's silent-film industry when he was only 18 years old. Through dedication and no shortage of ambition, he was hired (and occasionally fired) by many of the country's best production companies before becoming the head of Toho Studio's technical division in the '30s and eventually founding his own production studio decades later. His work with costumes, set design, and nature-defying effects is a testament to the ingenuity native to the pre-digital era.

Master of Monsters is part biography, part coffee-table art book. The large volume is organized into chronological chapters about Tsuburaya's life and career, balancing Ragone's absorbingly detailed account with stunning images of the man in action. Along with his nationalist propaganda films and sci-fi superheroes, the photographs variously capture Tsuburaya in conversation with reptilian actors, measuring toy-size models of cityscapes, and directing his army of technical engineers. Although the subject matter may seem esoteric, Tsuburaya's story is as much about the evolution of Japanese cinema as it is about one of its most pivotal practitioners.

-Chelsea Bauch