A book that is equally as important as it is good. I've had a liking for short stories since my early teenage years reading Italo Calvino and Jorge Luis Borges, and an even greater fascination for compilation works done by third parties. This eventually resulted in my current hobby of making collage art, but that's an entirely different topic. The important truth is that in a compilation such as this meaning is not found in any given short story but in the transition between them. For this and other reasons I would consider this to be one of the most essential pieces of literature one can find when it comes to manga.
This is a collection of alternative manga, from across several decades and covering many different art styles. The book has a wonderful introduction explaining the nature of non-mainstream comics in Japan, from the adult oriented Geika to the springboard for young talent that was the Garo magazine. The end contains a brief biography for each author featured, which I recommend looking at before moving from one story onto the next.
I believe that this should be mandatory reading material not only for anyone looking to explore the world of independent publications in Japan, but also for anyone who cares for manga as a medium. As an example, the prolific gag manga artist Yasuji Tanioka does not have a MAL page, and even more criminally a wikipedia page. This is in spite of originating such tropes as getting a nosebleed when aroused or being referenced by much more recognised works in the west like Mind Game dir. by Masaaki Yuasa (the god taking the appearance of Yasuji's characters) or City by Keiichi Arawi (where at least in the animated version the manga artist often does a face characteristic of Yasuji's style).
Another is one of my newfound favorites, Suehiro Maruo. Dark, often gothic, gory art mixed with some of the most beautiful panelling you’ll find in manga. But I could ramble all day about every author and story in this collection, some I do on this very list like Nekojiru or the aforementioned Maruo, so I'll end by saying that this collection is likely going to change the way you see manga forever.