Supposedly, this book details the history and the kata of classical Okinawan karate. Unfortunately for those that have already purchased it, the kata depicted are variations of modern versions and not anything remotely 'classical'. The historical sections of the book leave a lot to be desired as well, since much of it is either unsubstantiated legend or simply incorrect. In the 11 years since the publication of this book, McCarthy himself has admitted that these katas are not the classical versions, so why he continues to support the publication of it through his organization's web page is a mystery to me. The previous critique of this book is obviously either a McCarthy groupee or grossly misinformed about karate history. Unfortunately, there isn't a book on the market that does supply classical versions of the kata, however if you are anxious to spend some money on a book about Okinawan kata, I'd turn to Nagamine's Essence of Okinawan Karate, which is, unlike this, a valid piece of history.