Product Description

Capturing the perfect wave

"The book has the effect of a time capsule, bringing back an era that continues to resonate for us in shades of Technicolor and black and white." - Los Angeles Times Book Review, Los Angeles

At a time when surfing is more popular than ever, it's fitting to look back at the years that brought the sport into the mainstream. Developed by Hawaiian islanders over five centuries ago, surfing began to peak on the mainland in the 1950s, taking America--and the world--by storm. Surfing became not just a sport, but a way of life, and the culture that surrounded it was admired and exported across the globe. One of the key image-makers from that period is LeRoy Grannis, a surfer since 1931, who began photographing the scene in California and Hawaii in the longboard Gidget era of the early 1960s.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78247 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-15
• Original language: German, French, English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 276 pages

Review

Review

From the Publisher
This collection, drawn from Grannis's personal archives, showcases an impressive selection of surf photographs--from the bliss of catching the perfect wave at San Onofre to dramatic wipeouts at Oahu's famed North Shore. An innovator in the field, Grannis suction-cupped a waterproof box to his board, enabling him to change film in the water and stay closer to the action than other photographers of the time. Equally notable is his work covering an emerging surf lifestyle, from "surfer stomps" and hoards of fans at surf contests to board-laden woody station wagons along the Pacific Coast Highway. It is in these iconic images that a sport still in its adolescence embodied the free-spirited nature of an era--a time before shortboards and celebrity endorsements, when surfing was at its bronzed best.

Customer Reviews

A cultural architect
This is one of the few coffee table books that can give you a rush of adrenalin just by flipping the page.

Leroy Grannis may not have been the sole architect of the late twentieth century surfing culture phenomenon, but he certainly was among the dozen or so people that projected the image of surfing beyond the enthusiasts to almost every nook and cranny of our globe. Kids in Omaha bought surfing-styled duds, listened to surfing music, and went to some really hideous Hollywood surfing movies. Grannis, and the publications that used his photography, took surfing away the beach and showed the landlocked how much fun they were missing.

Whether you lived the lifestyle, emulated the lifestyle, or just want to know how cultural trends can capture the imagination, this is a great book.
The Shut Mouth Society
The Shopkeeper

Travel in time !
This book is a great experience, a real travel trough surf history in California and Hawaii. For those who want to know and admire the style of the pioneers of the sport, this is the book.

In My Opinion......
In my opinion, this book is one of THE BEST surf books ever. The visuals are clean and classic and takes one back to the golden age of surfing. The writing is short but informative. LeRoy Grannis put his stamp in this world and is a legend among all surf photographers. I am a big fan of Mr. Grannis and of surfing as well.
Buy the book, put it on your coffee table, have some friends over and discuss.