Hardback.
272 pages.
Chronicle Books 2017.
Matt Warshaw's Brief History of Surfing is beyond a doubt the most concise, informed and entertaining book to cover the entire centuries old history of sliding. From wave riding's beginnings in ancient Peru to Stephanie Gilmore's battle against gender stereotypes in pro surfing, Warshaw leaves no stone unturned in this condensed version of his definitive History of Surfing. The "Brief" of the title should not be over stated however, this is 272 pages packed with information all presented in Matt Warshaw's charming anecdotal style.
ABOUT MATT WARSHAW
Like the majority of highly successful surf journalists, Matt Warshaw started his career on the pro circuit. He was one of the original Z-Boys before Jeff Ho's Zephyr Competition Team mutated from surfing to skateboarding and turned Jay Adams and Tony Alva into rockstars. Amongst others, Warshaw started writing for Surfer Magazine in the early 1980s and by 1990 was the editor. A staunch bastion for community and history in surfing, he left Surfer and Southern California shortly thereafter, citing the commercialisation of surfing and overcrowding at So Cal breaks as his reasons. His work on the Encyclopedia of Surfing website and The History of Surfing Book have earned him the hallowed status of surf history oracle. Outside of surfing publications he has also written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Esquire & Outside amongst others.
If you have some time to kill we definitely recommend a visit to Warshaw's online Encyclopedia of Surfing. Just don't get sucked too far into the rabbit hole, it goes pretty deep!
