Tankōbon Database — Collected Manga Volumes

A tankōbon (単行本) is the collected paperback edition of a manga series, typically containing 9–11 chapters first published in a zasshi magazine. Most major series are released as tankōbon a few months after the magazine run, and the first printing is usually identifiable by markings on the colophon page.

For Japanese tankōbon, look at the colophon (奥付) — usually the last page. A line reading 第1刷発行 (dai-isshatsu hakkō) means "first printing." Later printings will say 第2刷, 第3刷, and so on. The original obi (paper belt) is also typically only present on first prints, since shops discard old obi when restocking later printings.

第1刷 (dai-isshatsu) literally translates to "first printing" — the very first run of a tankōbon off the press. Subsequent reprints are numbered 第2刷, 第3刷, etc. For collectors, only 第1刷 copies count as true first editions, and prices increase sharply for first-print copies of major debut volumes.

First-print tankōbon of breakout series were printed in modest runs before the series became famous. One Piece Volume 1 first prints, for instance, were produced in 1997 when the series was unproven. Survival rates are low (paperbacks are read, lent, and damaged), and the original obi is almost always lost. BGS (Beckett) slabbed first prints with obi are the gold standard. See our graded manga collection for current listings.