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The Encyclopedia of Surfing

The Encyclopedia of Surfing

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Author: Matt Warshaw
Creator: William Finnegan
Publisher: Harcourt
Category: Book

List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $21.62
You Save: $18.38 (46%)



New (6) Used (9) from $10.15

Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars 14 reviews
Sales Rank: 373367

Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 800
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.8
Dimensions (in): 10.5 x 8.3 x 1.8

Dewey Decimal Number: 797.32
ASIN: B0013MT94C

Publication Date: October 6, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Also Available In:

  • Hardcover - The Encyclopedia of Surfing
  • Paperback - The Encyclopedia of Surfing
  • Hardcover - The Encyclopedia of Surfing

Similar Items:

  • Fit to Surf : The Surfer's Guide to Strength and Conditioning
  • Step into Liquid
  • Learn to Surf
  • Zero Break: An Illustrated Collection of Surf Writing, 1777-2004
  • The Endless Summer

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
What's that sound coming from the beach? That's the rustle of pages turning, as would-be immortals look themselves up in IThe Encyclopedia of Surfing/I, surfing's first comprehensive reference book. IThe Encyclopedia of Surfing/I chronicles nearly every bit of wave-riding--its history, places, mythology, champions, tragedies, in-jokes, and minutiae. Author Matt Warshaw, former editor of ISurfer/I magazine, and his fellow researchers took three years to put together this prodigious tome. The most surprising thing about the book is its terrific readability. Though the 1,500 entries are organized in typical encyclopedic style, one after the other alphabetically, none of them--not a Isingle one/I--is completely boring. Not even the one on the technicalities of fin placement. In fact, the book is a trap, leading unsuspecting readers on a wandering journey from pioneer surfer Duke Kahanamoku to the development of hollow boards to the lifeguards who used them to lifeguard Eddie Aikau to his home in Waimea Bay to.... Suddenly, hours have gone by and there's still the huge entry on Gidget to read. Illustrated like a dictionary, this book has only one or two small black-and-white photos every couple of pages. A history of surfing introduces the entries; at the end, a bibliography, round-up of surf contest results, and lists of movies, magazines, and music provide the big finish. Though Warshaw's first three books (ISurfRiders/I, IAbove the Roar/I, and IMaverick's/I) were entertaining looks at surfers and surfing, this one makes him the official Kahuna of surf lore. Surfing is a multi-billion-dollar industry, flinging hordes of people and buckets of money into the waves each year. IThe Encyclopedia of Surfing/I is its new bible. I--Therese Littleton/I

Product Description
divEverybody's going surfing. Each year, the surf industry brings in $4.5 billion, and more than two-and-a-half million Americans, from California to Delaware, have caught the wave. Surfers have popped up on postage stamps, in television commercials, and in Hollywood movies, and the sport has developed the remarkable depth, color, and history that can only be cataloged in encyclopedic form.br brWith 1,500 alphabetical entries and 300 illustrations, The Encyclopedia of Surfing is the most comprehensive review of the people, places, events, equipment, vernacular, and lively history of this fascinating sport by "one of surfing's most knowledgeable historians" (San Francisco Chronicle). A remarkable collection of expert knowledge, spine-tingling stories, and little-known trivia, this is a book that no surfer-or armchair adventurer-will be able to resist.brbr/div (10/01/2003)


Customer Reviews:   Read 9 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars Fun, fact-filled book   February 13, 2008
V.A. Raj (North Carolina, United States)
This was the book I was looking for when it came to all things surfing. Everything from history, boards, type of surf, how to surf, surf lingo, and great pictures: it's all there.


5 out of 5 stars GREAT!   January 7, 2008
Ashley (Ocean Isle, NC)
I bought this for my boyfriend last year and he is still reading it. It is a great book for the coffee table and it keeps you going back for more. It has everything related to surfing in a great layout.


5 out of 5 stars Loaded with info!   December 26, 2007
MGK (Cedar Park, Texas United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I bought this for my eight-year-old son. He has gotten into surfing recently and can't stop talking about it. He is just getting better at reading, and although this book has a lot to read (which is a plus for those wanting to look up anything about surfing), he is more willing to practice reading when it comes to a subject of interest, so he'll open it up and look up whatever questions pops up in his mind about surfing. Great book!


5 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE FOR ANY SURFER   January 28, 2006
Jimmy Dean
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

If you are a surfer or interested in learning anything about the history and names in the sport past and present then you should immediately buy this book. Two copies. Matt Warshaw does an excellent job of detailing almost every major and minor aspect in the history of the sport from onshore wind to "nat young" to "new jersey". There are small black and white photos throughout the book as well. I guarantee you will learn alot from reading just one letter of the alphabet. After reading this book, you can start to talk like Sam George. Highly informative and hard to put down.


5 out of 5 stars The only review written by a 46-year-old woman in the Midwest   January 27, 2006
Rosemary Thornton (Norfolk, VA)
1 out of 13 found this review helpful

Or so I presume. br / br /This book has the best history I've seen on Pacific Ready Cut Homes and that's why I purchased it. I'm the author of "California's Kit Homes" and had a devil of a time finding information on this Los Angeles-based company. br / br /I bought "The Encyclopedia of Surfing" and was pleasantly surprised to find information about the company that brought us the Swastika Surfboard. Yes, they made wonderful (and heavy!)surfboards, but did you know they also made and sold 40,000 kit homes before they got into surfboards? (BTW, one Pacific Ready-Cut house had 30,000 pieces of house and a 75-page instruction book - and you thought putting together a VCR stand was tough.) br / br /I also browsed other parts of the book and found it to be an informative and well-researched book. br / br /Rose br /author, California's Kit Homes