The Autobiography of master Funakoshi - Shotokan's founder. In this book, master Funakoshi tells stories of growing up and learning Karate in Okinawa, becoming a school teacher and how he brought Karate to Japan. This book is highly recommended for all students.

Spirit of the Empty Hand by Stan Schmidt.

In this book tells the story of starting off as a beginner in karate, advancing through the ranks, eventually travelling to Japan to train at the JKA headquarters, and passing his 3rd dan test while there. I found this book to be a fascinating and easy read. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing on a flight from Baltimore to Minneapolis.