A lot of ink has been spilled about this addiction we have. Romanticizing, fantasizing, publicizing. The surfing section at Powell's (blow up the photo above) is a pretty good place to get a fix. The web does a good job keeping the stoke at full blaze, but there's really nothing like grabbing a book and reading about adventures -- fictional or non -- or mindsurfing perfect waves through the lenses of the world's great surf photogs.
The question is, what's the greatest surf story ever published?
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15 comments:
Gerry's book was some of the best I've read.
http://www.patagonia.com/usa/product.go?style_color=bk400
He's got a simple no-nonsense style to telling some epic stories. Almost too calm !! ha .
"Playing Doc's Games" by Bill Finnegan. New Yorker, August, 1992. By a long shot the most well-written piece on surfing I've ever read.
Dave Parmenter's tale of the first surf trip published by Surfer mag to Alaska in the late 90s.
Hands down!
Niegà
I like Chris Ahern's collections of short stories. Jamie Brisick's book is interesting in more of an arsty way. But my favorite is "A House in the Waves" written by a Canadian college prof who takes his family to Byron Bay for sabbatical, on a house exchange with the aussie family. Halfway through the exchange, the Aussies are threatening to sue him they hate Canada so much.
The funny thing about your picture of the book shelf. The surf portion of that shelf looked nothing like that 5 or 6 years ago. Let's hope the penmen in the water keep up the good work.
David
ooo just that picture got me happy then reading all of your favorite stories! What a great question and can't wait to read the favorites.
eddie would go is a really good one.
http://www.amazon.com/Eddie-Would-Go-Story-Hawaiian/dp/097062137X
one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish!
I've read a few of those in the pic. Mavericks is a good dense read. The film 'Riding Giants' was basically a straight adaptation of of Warsaw's mavericks book. I'm fond of D. Duane's writing and its improved since Caught Inside.
Need to add kids surf books. The best I've come across is "My Surf Tricks". Chum if you don't have it you need to get it for the little guy!
http://www.amazon.com/Surf-Tricks-Olas-Surfing-Books/dp/0976478854/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236485988&sr=8-1
The art and prose it perfect for toddlers. My 2.5 year old son has it memorized.
I really enjoyed Gerry's book, and I'm looking forward to checking out those articles and stories I haven't read -- especially Parmenter's. I'm a fan of his writing when he's not too cranky.
JDog, it's amazing that you brought up "My Surf Tricks." Somebody told me to buy that book only a couple days ago when she found out I'm working on a children's book of my own!
I'd like to add West of Jesus by Steven Kotler. It has nothing to do with Jesus either. Great story and great writing and research into why surfing is so addictive and transformative. This is rad picture Chum--I love surf lit!
Thanks!
Don't forget, Jack London, Mark Twain, Tom Wolfe and other literary giants wrote about this thing, surfing. I like the MP bio and any essay by Stecyk but my favourite piece of surf literature is Miki Dora's, "Million Days To Darkness: Death, Diamonds and the Episodic Wave" There's not much need to write about surfing after that.
Interesting article on CNN today about a surf scribe of a different kind - John Milius, who wrote Big Wednesday and a few other salty lines:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/09/john.milius.movies/index.html
Chum,
Good to hear your doing a kids book. I'll be sure to buy a few when the time comes around.
I have a little reading in the crapper going on. It's riveting, either that or I have a bowel obstruction!
anything drew kampion or craig stecyks writes--but i will go with the masses and cite "in search of captain zeron weisbecker as my favorite
i'm not to big on reading but i came across a website called surf realization fellowship. i can relate to it's message, and i get the same vibe hanging out on this blog. the site has some gerry stories but it's not updated to often.
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