Karl Friday is one of the few historians out there who has a real "hands on" experience with the subject material that he writes about. He has lived in Japan and trained with the famed Kashima Shinryu.
I admit I had never read a Friday book until recently. Friday was kind enough to help me through my graduate school application process. I figured I owed it to the guy to read at least one of his books. The first book I purchased was Legacies of the Sword: The Kashima-Shinryu and Samurai
This work was extremely well done and it immediately vaulted Friday to the top of my favorite historians list. (Yes, I am nerdy enough to have a favorite historians thread.)
Since then, I have read several other Friday works and his spot among the top of my aforementioned list is secure.
For more info on Friday, check out his faculty page at the University of Georgia
Karl Friday
