The libertine: The wild, brief life of a surfing legend and international playboy The tale of Bunker Spreckels (1949-1977) reads like a pitch for a movie to rival Boogie Nights: The stepson of Clark Gable is a privileged Los Angeles party boy who is heir to a multimillion dollar fortune; passionate about surfing, martial arts, guns, and women, he lives the life of a debauched international jet-setter before succumbing to his excesses at the tender age of 27. Born Adolph B. Spreckels III, heir to the Spreckels sugar fortune, Bunker became a famous surfer as a teenager, but after his inheritance came along, he began to slip into a life of pomp and excess where surfing took a back seat to drugs, sex, and wild road trips. So remarkable was his lifestyle that he created an alter-ego who invited photographers and documentarians to trail him, piecing together a tell-all epic of his own rise to fame and fortune. Before the project, known as ?The Player?, could be completed, Spreckels suddenly died.
 Sell Back Your Copy for $58.25
Whether you buy it used on Amazon for $79.69 or somewhere else, you can sell it back through our Book Trade-In Program at the current price of $58.25.
Used Price$79.69
Trade-in Price$58.25
Price after
Trade-in$21.44 |
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From the Publisher
Thirty years later, photographer Art Brewer and writer/photojournalist C. R. Stecyk III (of Dogtown and Z-Boys fame) have come together to make this book, which traces the meteoric rise and dramatic fall of Bunker Spreckels. Brewer was a close friend of Spreckels and his personal photographer throughout the last decade of his life, traveling with him from Hawaii to Los Angeles to South Africa. His images of Spreckels, both on the waves and on land, chronicle Spreckels's metamorphosis from hippie surfer to international playboy, while Stecyk's extensive taped interview of Spreckels, completed just three months before his death, provides a rare first-person perspective on his decadent life.
From the Author
Professional photographer Art Brewer is among the veteran photographers of the sport of surfing. His decades-long tenure as documentarian of the international sport and as photo editor for Surfer Magazine have garnered him numerous awards and titles. Bunker and Brewer were longtime surfing buddies when Bunker tapped the journeyman photographer to be part of his entourage to document and film "The Player." Brewer continued his relationship with Bunker until his passing, providing the most complete photographic record of his life.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bunker Spreckles Devine Prince of Decadance,
This review is from: Bunker Spreckels: Surfing's Divine Prince of Decadence (Hardcover)
I was very interested in the person Bunker Spreckles. Here was a person who, before he had any money, dropped everything and lived on the North Shore, to just surf. He was said to surf as well an any touring pro, but did so only for passon. He rode and made his own boards and had his own style. To me, he represented what surfing should be, to a committed person, and not what it is, and has become. I was thrilled to see a book about him coming, but when I got it and read it, I was very disappointed. I would like to have seen it focus more on his surfing in California and in Hawaii in 69, and also, his lifestyle while in Kuai, and more pictures from the South Africa trip. All it was was a recap of the Surfer's journal article from 93, with a few more photos from when he was spinning out from all the money.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big waves, beautiful girls, drugs and money.,
By
This review is from: Bunker Spreckels: Surfing's Divine Prince of Decadence (Hardcover)
Big waves, beautiful girls, drugs and money. A fascinating glimpse into the insane life of Bunker Spreckels. At 21, he inherits fifty-million dollars, so like any other reasonable person, he arrives at the bank with an armored car and takes it in cash. This is just one episode in the short life of Bunker Spreckels. Art Brewer's photos perfectly capture the essence of Bunker's wild ride. I would be surprised if Hollywood isn't already in production.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
divine prince of wreckadence!!!!,
By Aaron "Skyhighatrist" (Here) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bunker Spreckels: Surfing's Divine Prince of Decadence (Hardcover)
highly recommended in depth look at one of the 1970's most outrageous,larger than life,innovator & hedonist personalities that is sadly missing in todays couch potato,console playing,tv watching,'staying in,is the new going out'superfluous wasters.expand your mind....read a book!!!!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
