Part historical account, part training notes and part philosophical essay, the author writes about his training with Grandmaster Shimabukuro Ezio on the island of Okinawa.

“A bravura performance…An entertaining book” (Kirkus Reviews) about the dramatic 2016 World Chess Championship between Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and Russia’s Sergey Karjakin, which mirrored the world’s geopolitical unrest and rekindled a global fascination with the sport. The first week of November 2016, hundreds of people descended on New York City’s South Street Seaport to watch the World Chess Championship between Norway’s Magnus Carlsen and Russia’s Sergey Karjakin. By the time it was over would be front-page news and thought by many the greatest finish in chess history. With both Carlsen and Karjakin just twenty-five years old, it was the first time the championship had been waged among those who grew up playing chess against computers. Originally from Crimea, Karjakin had recently repatriated to Russia under the direct assistance of Putin. Carlsen, meanwhile, had expressed admiration for Donald Trump, and the first move of the tournament he played was called a Trompowsky Attack. Then there was the Russian leader of the World Chess Federation being barred from attending due to US sanctions, and chess fanatic and Trump adviser Peter Thiel being called on to make the honorary first move in sudden death. That the tournament even required sudden death was a shock. Oddsmakers had given Carlsen, the defending champion, an eighty percent chance of winning. It would take everything he had to retain his title. Author Brin-Jonathan Butler was granted unique access to the two-and-half-week tournament and watched every move. The Grandmaster “is not the usual chronicle of a world-championship chess match….Butler offers insight into what it takes to become the best chess player on the planet...A vibrant and provocative look at chess and its metaphorical battle for territory and power” (Booklist).

The epic tale of Grandmaster Sin Kwang The ́s extraordinary struggle and ultimate triumph to become the youngest Grandmaster in history. "The Last Grandmaster" artfully weaves the legendary stories of historic martial arts heroes with the Grandmaster¿s own life story, set against many riveting events in the history of modern China.

The Journey of an Artist is a true to life experience of the "King of Kata" Grandmaster Eric Lee.

Grandmaster Miskel shares his wit and insight into the deeper meaning of martial arts. Essays like, "A Scientific Breakdown of the Strike" discuss the difference between a crushing strike, a compression strike, a jarring strike, a stunning strike, and a shocking strike that will render an opponent unconscious. Grandmaster Miskel explains the foundations and origins of many of the systems developed today. He speaks fondly of the early days and battles and with pride at the direction our brotherhood is going in the future. He talks about martial arts snobbery and petty jealousy that divide us and about the need for unity and tolerance. He reminisces about the old days in Chicago, he speaks of the philosophical principles that form our code of conduct and chivalry, and explains the concept of "coming full circle," so that, in the end, the techniques of the Grandmaster are as simple as those of a beginner, only devastatingly more effective.

"Being a student of Master Yu has increased my ability to focus and concentrate, and has enhanced my discipline. Master Yu's teachings have been beneficial to both my professional and personal life." - Jennifer Garner, motion picture and TV star An incredibly moving, engrossing, and almost-mythological tale of how one man endured the highest of highs and the lowest of lows throughout his extraordinary life. Born into Japanese-occupied Korea, young Byong Yu was diagnosed as developmentally retarded. Convinced that he would become a burden to his family, doctors told his parents to put him in the corner and let him die. Consequently, survival was an instinct that he honed at a very early age. Byong was known to the village as “Ugly Boy,” yet he refused to give up. His destiny led him to a wise and gifted martial arts master who agreed to accept him as a student. In the years that followed, Byong used the profound wisdom instilled in him by his master to succeed at martial arts and triumph through the Korean War. After emigrating to the United States, Byong struggled to live the American dream through years of poverty and homelessness. And a tragedy that finally drove him to the brink of suicide almost shattered his spirit once and for all. However, in the long and arduous process of rebuilding his life, he managed to become a martial arts legend—one who now trains some of Hollywood’s elite. This is Byong Yu’s story, but even more important, it’s a guidebook to discovering your own true path—whatever that may be—and conquering any obstacle that stands in your way. As Master Yu says: “I have triumphed over countless obstacles that I have faced in my lifetime. Yet through it all, I have managed to fulfill my destiny and come to intimately discover who and what I am. And if I can do it, so can you!”

In this first full autobiographical work, the legendary aikido grandmaster Gozo Shioda tells of his exciting life. Born in Tokyo in 1915, Shioda excelled as a student of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. He went on to win first place in the All Japan Martial Arts Exhibition in 1954; and later, founded the Yoshinkan school of aikido, considered a "hard" style for its rigorous training techniques and emphasis on correct form. In 1988, Shioda was awarded the title of Aikido Master by the International Martial Arts Federation. Over the course of his distinguisehd career, he also served as the chief instructor for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the Air Self-defense Force, the Japanese National Railways, and a number of leading Japanese universities. In Aikido: My Spiritual Journey, Shioda relates moving, personal anecdotes about Ueshiba and imparts what he learned from his mentor. He offers a concise overview of the key elements of aikido, including breath power, focused power, and the power of the center line. About 20 rare photos of the author, chronicling his life in aikido, are also included. Yasuhisa Shioda, the author’s son and himself a prominent figure in the aikido world, has contributed the Afterword to this volume.

A PERFECT COMPANION READ TO THE SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY, WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN Selected as a Best Book of the Year by Esquire "Couldn't put it down." – Charlamagne Tha God "Mesmerizing." – Raekwon da Chef "Insightful, moving, necessary." – Shea Serrano "Cathartic." –The New Yorker "A classic." –The Washington Post The explosive, never-before-told story behind the historicrise of the Wu-Tang Clan, as told by one of its founding members, Lamont "U-God" Hawkins. “It’s time to write down not only my legacy, but the story of nine dirt-bomb street thugs who took our everyday life—scrappin’ and hustlin’and tryin’ to survive in the urban jungle of New York City—and turned that into something bigger than we could possibly imagine, something that took us out of the projects for good, which was the only thing we all wanted in the first place.” —Lamont "U-God" Hawkins The Wu-Tang Clan are considered hip-hop royalty. Remarkably, none of the founding members have told their story—until now. Here, for the first time, the quiet one speaks. Lamont “U-God” Hawkins was born in Brownsville, New York, in 1970. Raised by a single mother and forced to reckon with the hostile conditions of project life, U-God learned from an early age how to survive. And surviving in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s was no easy task—especially as a young black boy living in some of the city’s most ignored and destitute districts. But, along the way, he met and befriended those who would eventually form the Clan’s core: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Masta Killa. Brought up by the streets, and bonding over their love of hip-hop, they sought to pursue the impossible: music as their ticket out of the ghetto. U-God’s unforgettable first-person account of his journey,from the streets of Brooklyn to some of the biggest stages around the world, is not only thoroughly affecting, unfiltered, and explosive but also captures, invivid detail, the making of one of the greatest acts in American music history.

'A nuanced and witty meditation on confronting the challenges life throws at us all' Oliver Burkeman Jonathan Rowson's competitive success as a chess Grandmaster and work as an applied philosopher have given him a unique perspective on why the great game is more important than ever for understanding the conflicts and uncertainties of the modern world. In sixty-four witty and addictive vignettes, Rowson takes us on an exhilarating tour of the game of life, from the psychology of gang violence, to the aesthetics of cyborgs, the beauty of technical details, and the endgame of death. Chess emerges as a singularly powerful metaphor for the thrills and set-backs that invest our daily lives with meaning and complexity.

This is the story of Sensei Reese Rigby's journey into Isshin-ryu karate-do from beginner white belt to ninth-degree black belt grandmaster, starting with his school of fourteen students in 1973 and growing to approximately three hundred karate students and an additional one hundred combined cardio kickboxing and tai chi students in 2012. In writing this book, Sensei Rigby wanted to share his story with his students, family, and others who are interested in a martial arts journey. This book is a tribute to his Isshin-ryu instructors, Grandmaster Angi Uezu and Grandmaster Tom Lewis, and his tai chi instructor, Sifu Diane Cannon.