by David » Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:59 pm
When I first came to Japan a lot of years ago, I was already a big comics fan but knew nothing about manga. I was very excited reading ABOUT Tezuka Osamu. I subsequently found out that there was ONE book in English, and I promptly went to the English book shop in Kyoto to order it. At first they told me they did not stock or order comics but I was a bit insistent, and 2 weeks later they pulled in a copy for me. Very cool... I thought.
When I went back the next month, to order one or two for friends, I found out it was now out of stock at the publisher. So, I had my eyes out right away for copies. I was going to a lot of used book shops and collectors stores, and soon started a small business, at that time - Manga Search! - geared toward finding lost things. Well, Tezuka was not a big request. Mostly I found myself searching items from Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, BubbleGum Crisis, Gundam and eventually Pokemon. Still I collected copies of C&P, if only to stack them up for the time being.
I think I have found and sent out over 50 copies of the book since then. I like book hunting. Not as active at it as I used to be. I have other distractions. And my business has evolved into something different. But it is always a pleasure to turn up a copy. A lot of copies I found appear to have never been read. Many even have the obi - the little paper band that many new books come with.
So, I always consider Crime and Punishment to be available - just slow in coming.
David