Available for 5 years now, one can still pick up a First Edition copy in most book stores. Mr. Watson does a fine job at basically presenting Kano Jigoro to a public that is especially starved of information about the man and his many accomplishments, on and off the mat.
However, from the perspective of good biography and as an historical work, it does not go nearly deep enough into Kano's life and, frustratingly so, can (and does) leave the reader with more questions than answers about this remarkable man's life.
That said, there is so very little that has been written about Kano that I grudgingly rate it at 4 stars. For this reason alone, I think it belongs on the library shelf of any self-respecting judoka. Mr. Watson, however, could have given this subject a much more extensive treatment.