Surfing: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time

by Ben Marcus, Steve Pezman (Foreword)

Surfing enthusiast Ben Marcus takes you as close to the waves as you can get without hitting the beach. Surfing is more than just a sport; it is a cultural phenomenon. From its mystical beginnings in Polynesia, surfing has evolved into a worldwide passion, establishing its own roster of legends and seeping into our society—in movies, in fashion, in music, and in language. Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, the “father of surfing,” helped elevate the sport beyond its Pacific Islands origins more than a century ago, and his torch has been carried on by a long line of surf heroes: Woody Brown, Mickey Dora, Laird Hamilton, Kelly Slater, and many, many others. During the 1950s and 1960s, surf culture and fashion exploded into movies and music. “Gidget,” the Beach Boys, and even Elvis Presley exposed surfing to the masses, and decades later, the sport and its proponents remain fixtures in pop culture and the media. Yet, through the years, surfing has maintained its reputation as a refuge for non-conformists; its often below-the-radar individualistic lifestyle defies a dry chronicle neatly tied up with a bow. In this comprehensive history of surfing, author Ben Marcus captures the glamour and excitement of this extreme sport. If you are still in awe of that first surfboard, still stoked by hanging ten, or still dreaming of that elusive wave, then this book is for you. Surfing: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time brings you up close and personal to the exciting world of surfing.

Genres: Sports

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2005

Reviews

[Valerie Hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, the pictures really add to the overall of the book. A lot of information in this book. I have learned a lot about surfing and have a deeper understand of its origins and how it has developed as a sport and a life style throughout the years.
I won this off goodreads first reads

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very interesting book and quite beautiful in places. I really liked the history of how surfing came about, as well as the developments that changed the sport. The author delves into the culture that grew up around surfing, and it was these chapters I didn’t like as much. It was interesting, but it went very in depth and was more than I needed to know. So while I liked the book overall, a few chapters are worth skimming over.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, gorgeous photos, has a place of honour on my bookshelf.