Favourite MA Biographies?

[jimbob]

Any recommendations gratefully received. I have a small collection of MA biographies and would like to pick up another few.

Here's my list and what I thought of them. Feel free to add.

Angry White Pyjamas - Robert Twigger - fantastic read.
The Swordmaster's Apprentice - Edward Burke - fantastic read. Training with one of the hard men of aikido.
Martial Musings - Robert Smith - wonderful book. Happy to have it on my shelf.
No Holds Barred - Clyde Gentry - great book
Brawl - Eric Krauss - ok. A little Lion's Den biased.
Blood in the Cage - John Wertheim - good
Why I Fight - BJ Penn - a little dry
A Fighter's Heart - Sam Sheridan - brilliant
The Fighters Mind - Sam Sheridan - interesting but not as good as his first book.
The Journeyman - Bob Sykes - disappointing. Sounds like an interesting guy but there wasn't much in this book.
Sugong - Nick Hurst - ok. Well written but a little dry.
American Shaolin - Matt Polly - fantastic read.
Tapped Out - Matt Polly - also a great read, also a bit lighter than his first book.
Persimmon Wind - Dave Lowry - good (if a little dry) read. Interesting.
Monk from Brooklyn - Antonio Graceffo - poorly written but extremely entertaining.
Warrior Odyssey - Antonio Graceffo - another very entertaining read. Enjoyed it a lot.
Wing Chun Warrior - Duncan Leung - didn't enjoy. Felt like a children's book.
Becoming the Natural - Randy Couture - just ok. Superficial and a little dry for my tastes. Some interesting insights into fight psychology.
The Cauliflower Chronicles - Marshall D Carper - boring. More Hawaii travelogue than martial arts autobiography.
The Making of a Butterfly - Phillip Starr - life lessons and reminiscences from his teacher. I found it a little light. Mr Starr seems like an interesting guy though.
The Pyjama Game - Mark Law - great read. Author's journeys in judo in the UK.
Bruce Lee and Me - Brian Preston - interesting, funny and very well written. A newbie discovers martial arts.
Working with Warriors - Dennis Martin - fascinating stories about door work with 3 top martial artists. Loved it.
Title Shot - Kelly Grigger - good fun book. The author 'test drives' some of the major MMA teams in the US.
Journey Through Time - Willem de Thours - really disappointing. This man sounds like he has some great stories to share but the writing is bad it's almost unreadable.
Iron and Silk - Mark Salzman - one of the first I read. Wonderful stories about living and training in China when not many Laowai went there.

[Jimbo]

The Toughest Man Alive, by Gene LeBell

[GeneChing]

The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu (http://www.shambhala.com/the-sword-of-no-sword.html) by John Stevens
Miyamoto Musashi: His Life and Writings (http://www.shambhala.com/miyamoto-musashi-1.html)by Kenji Tokitsu
Sword of Zen: Master Takuan and His Writings on Immovable Wisdom and the Sword Taie (http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/p-8764-9780824836788.aspx) by Peter Haskel
The Living Sword by Aldo Nadi (Laureate Press at 1-800-946-2727)

[jimbob]

Thanks for the suggestions!

The Gene Lebell book I've been thinking about. I've picked it and read bits and pieces of it but despite the man himself being a legend, it's also not all that well written.

[Jimbo]

If it's still available, Chinese Boxing: Masters and Methods by Robert W. Smith is a little book that's a fun read. Not a biography per se, and I don't always agree with his views, but I always liked his writing style. About the 3 years or so period he lived/trained in Taiwan.

[jimbob]

Oh I have Masters and Methods already. Yes - I agree with you. I find Smiths writing style very enjoyable.

[GeneChing]

Spirit of Shaolin and Endless Highway by David Carradine

Actually, I've never read either of these books, but I have an autographed blad of SoS, which I recently found whilst going through my stuff. I'm going to get it framed and hang it up next to my desk at the office here. :)

[sanjuro_ronin]

The Maeda biogrpahy:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Toughest-Ever-Lived-ebook/dp/B004ZLYX3A/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366304322&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=toughest+man+alive+Maeda

Oyama:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Kyokushin-Way-Oyamas-Philosophy/dp/0870404601/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366304389&sr=8-2&keywords=mas+oyama

Kano:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Father-Judo-Biography-Bushido--The/dp/4770025300/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1366304450&sr=8-5&keywords=Jigoro+kano

[Lucas]

Jackie Chan's autobiography is a very good read.

I am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action (http://www.amazon.com/Am-Jackie-Chan-Life-Action/dp/0345429133)

[ghostexorcist]

Thanks for the suggestions!

The Gene Lebell book I've been thinking about. I've picked it and read bits and pieces of it but despite the man himself being a legend, it's also not all that well written.

His The Godfather of Grappling (2005) was a very enjoyable read. He is one funny guy.

[GeneChing]

Against All Odds: My Story by Chuck Norris and Ken Abraham. I've never read it. Don't really intend to.

Jackie's book is entertaining but rather dated now. He's done a lot more in the 15 years since that book was published. Lebell does have a good sense of humor. Another enjoyable read. I liked the Kano and Oyama books too, although my memory of the Oyama book is pretty faint. That was so long ago when I read that.

[jimbob]

I'll check them out. I read Jackie Chan's book years ago and enjoyed it a lot.It was lot more substantial than I expected.

I'm keen to read Nicholas Pettas' story about him being the last uchi deshi of Oyama.

[MightyB]

Chuck's book was a good read.

Also - Gichin Funakoshi's "Karate Do, My Way of Life" was a good read.

[MightyB]

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