John Holway was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on November 12, 1929 to Edward J. Holway, an engineer, and Frances (nee Rimbach) Holway. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950 from the University of Iowa. He joined the United States Army in 1951, and while in the service met his future wife Motoka Mori whom he married on October 15, 1954. They have two boys and two girls. Holway reached the rank of first lieutenant in the Army, but he left the service in 1956 and then started to work for the United States Information Service. This job has provided his primary source of income while he has pursued his literary interests.

His first books were the sports volumes Japan Is Big League in Thrills (1955) and Sumo (1957), although his articles appeared in Look, American Heritage, and other general readership magazines before he began to publish the books for...