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Chronicle Books

The History of Surfing

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Format: Hardcover, Illustrated


Description

From respected surfing authority Matt Warshaw, The History of Surfing presents a breathtaking and complete look at the history and culture of the sport. "Meticulously researched, smartly written, beautifully laid out ... required reading."—Outside Magazine Matt Warshaw knows more about surfing than any other person on the planet. After five years of research and writing, Warshaw has crafted an unprecedented history of the sport and the culture it has spawned. At nearly 500 pages, with 250,000 words and more than 250 rare photographs, The History of Surfing reveals and defines this sport with a voice that is authoritative, funny, and wholly original. The obsessive nature of this endeavor is matched only by the obsessive nature of surfers, who will pore through these pages with passion and opinion. Here, at last, is the definitive history of surfing. THE PERFECT GIFT: Packed with stunning photographs, this exhaustive history of surfing makes a superb present for surfers, beach bums, photography lovers, and history buffs. EXPERT AUTHOR: Matt Warshaw began riding waves in 1969 and even had a brief, undistinguished, resume-padding career as a pro surfer during the early 1980s. He worked at Surfer magazine for six years and became editor in 1990. He has published articles in TheNew York Times, TheWall Street Journal, Esquire, Interview, and Outside, and has written eight books, including The Encyclopedia of Surfing ("A living, breathing masterpiece," according to Salon.com). READERS LOVE IT: In hundreds of 5-star ratings, reviewers rave, calling this “the best, most comprehensive and enjoyable single source read available today on surfing” that's definitely “not just for surfers.” Perfect for: Fans of surf culture, history, or photography Anyone looking for a unique coffee table book or beautiful gift Adding to the shelf alongside classic surfing books like Big Wave Surfer, Clark Little: The Art of Waves, and William Finnegan's Pulitzer Prize-winning Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books; 1st edition (August 18, 2010)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 495 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0811856003


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 03


Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up


Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.2 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.5 x 1.75 x 11 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #83,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #14 in Surfing #91 in Sports History (Books) #705 in U.S. State & Local History


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A Good Read
Having read some of Matt Warshaw's other work (mostly shorts and Maverick's: The Story of Big Wave Surfing)I already knew that I liked his writing style. Being an aging surfer and having read a good bit of both historic and modern surf literature, I wasn't sure if a comphrehensive HOS would be able to hold my attention. Simply put, it did, and then some. I was generally familiar with a good bit of the content from my disjointed readings of the past. There is enough new stuff and some surprises in the old stuff, more than enough, and written in a manner that makes it an enjoyable and refreshing cover to cover read. Having a degree in history, an ex-pro surfer, having established the most extensive surf database anywhere in existence, as well as having recently completed The Encyclopedia Of Surfing, Matt is unquestionably the authority on the subject, uniquely qualified to write the history of surfing. Yes, as a reviewer noted there is some "opinion" to be found here and there, not a lot, but it is clearly such and I found it to be more insightful in nature, an "insider's" perspective, not opinion masquerading as fact. As a surfer of course I'm obviously biased to the subject, but I do agree that non surfers with any interest what-so-ever in surf history or culture should find this to be the best, most comphrehensive and enjoyable single source read available today on surfing. The bottom line is: if you are a grom or an old surfer you really should give this a read regardless of how you come by it. Get it from your local library, borrow it from a bro, steal it. Just kidding, don't steal- we're finally getting a little main stream respect these days. I found the Amazon price to be the best. It is pretty beefy. If you buy it and don't like it, you've still got one hell of a door stop. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 14, 2010 by Chuck
    • A heady look at the sport, the people, the history, and the sensation if not the rapture . . .
Warshaw covers it all. It's a fascinating book, complete with sections on surfing lore, surfing legends and heroes, 'surfing philosophy' and how it influenced the sport (as well as the zeitgeist of the era, an on), types of boards, how one mode of thinking led to the next. Well done and worth the price. You can get gorgeous surfing photos -- past and present -- in a gazillion other books. This has a few, but it really is an intellectual look at a West Coast phenom. Yes, intellectual (well, as much so as possible, anyway). What I mean is that surfers are said to be shallow, narcissistic (or ego-oriented) hedonists. He says little to disavow folks of that notion, but he explains how it is that the public feels this way about those who practice the sport. Granted, today many -- if not most -- surfers probably just enjoy the athleticism, the being "in one with the waves" feeling, being out on gorgeous days, the thrill of the speed, and the exhilaration of being out there in the gorgeous water with the fish and other wildlife. But there is a mystique to it all, too, and while not exactly nailing the sensation or the "rapture" of it, Warshaw comes about as close as possible. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 15, 2015 by Annie Pope
    • Really interesting!
This book is great - a lot better than I thought it would be. I've had it in my list for a while because I'm interested in surfing and I like history. But I honestly thought it'd be pretty boring and I'd skim it here and there and then it would look cool on my bookshelf. I'm about halfway through it, though, and it's a great read. Even for non-surfers the history of surfing has a huge intersection with the history of pop-culture. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 13, 2021 by Christian
    • Good
Arrived on time and in the condition expected.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 1, 2022 by jay
    • NOT JUST FOR SURFERS
I am not a surfer. But I am a history buff who was given an advance copy of this gorgeous book. I'm only on page 174, but I have to stop and share my excitement about The History of Surfing. How can you not love a book that describes the crowds at surf movies of the late 1950's like this: "Firecrackers were lit and rolled across the floor to the next row of seats. Bottlecaps zipped through the air. High decibel beer-belches rang out. A motorcyclist might blow in through the side door, ride up one aisle and down the other, then gun back out the way he came. "What older surfers invariably describe first when talking about early surf movies is the tearing thunderclap of cheers and whistles and stomping feet that began when the lights dimmed and the first blue-green image lip up the screen--a roaring noise signifying not just a manic willingness to be entertained, but the pure joy of an otherwise staunchly nonaligned multitude coming together briefly, powerfully, ecstatically as a group." Now that's the way to write history. Kevin Starr, California State Historian, eat your heart out. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2010 by Mimi Kalland
    • Good Condition
Arrived with minimal wear, as expected. I had to glue down one of the corners that had been torn/bumped a bit, but the book looks like new and is ready for page turning on my coffee table.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 4, 2021 by SusanB617
    • probably the best, all round all year surf break in the ...
I read this book whilst watching the surf roll off Snapper Rocks Queensland, probably the best, all round all year surf break in the world. Matt covers the history of surfing in a concise manner and leaves us plenty of room for thought on all the little tit bits which make up the full background. As both the art and sport of surfing is so quickly changing and is now being passed to the youngsters, this book is an essential item for the collection of every surfer. As always the big question is, Where is surfing headed next?? How and what will we be surfing in 10 years time ? ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 18, 2015 by Rob Williams
    • Totally a Great Book
One amazing book... there are however some facts that are incorrect but all these books have them. It is one of the best surfing books today. Would love for this author to do a book on surfers that do not get their kudos that one day no one will even remember and its a real shame. Went to Wikapedia and the list is sad, Added some of the old guys that were amazing a lot more amazing tham a few that are mentioned over and over as they hung with the right crowd but were just not all that.... thanks love it read it all the time and will forever... a must have. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 17, 2014 by Robert Roland

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