This volume is a comprehensive visual history of surfing, marking a major cultural event as much as a publication. Following three and a half years of meticulous research, it brings together hundreds of images to chart the evolution of surfing as a sport, a lifestyle, and a philosophy.The book is arranged into five chronological chapters, tracing surfing culture from the first recorded European contact in 1778 by Captain James Cook to the global and multi-platform phenomenon of today. Utilizing institutions, collections, and photographic archives from around the world, and with accompanying essays by the world's top surf journalists, it celebrates the sport on and off the water, as a community of 20 million practitioners and countless more devotees, and as a leading influence on fashion, film, art, and music.An unrivaled tribute to the breadth, complexity, and richness of surfing, this book is a must-have for any serious player on the surfing scene and anybody who aspires to the surfing lifestyle. As one surfing scribe has declared, "There has never been a book like this, and there will never be another one again."

About the Author
Jim Heimann is the Executive Editor for TASCHEN. A cultural anthropologist, historian, and an avid collector, he has authored numerous titles on architecture, pop culture, and the history of Los Angeles and Hollywood, including TASCHEN's Surfing, Los Angeles. Portrait of a City, California Crazy, and the All-American Ads series.

Reviews
"In this crowded world, the surfer can still seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts." * John Severson *
"The undisputed bible of surf culture." * Vogue *
"Visual historian Jim Heimann brings his keen eye to the waves, culture, sport, and style of surfing in this gorgeous book." * The Los Angeles Times *
"It's all here - the clothes, the boards, the music, the contests, the rivalries, the surfer dudes..." * Tatler *



Book Information
ISBN 9783836591461
Author Jim Heimann
Format Hardback
Page Count 512
Imprint Taschen GmbH
Publisher Taschen GmbH
Weight(grams) 1110g