The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding [Paperback]

Michael Brooke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

The first book ever published to document the history of one of the worlds most cutting edge sports-skateboarding. The book features hundreds of photos of skaters, memorabilia and includes interviews with Tony Alva and Tony Hawk. Forward by Rodney Mullen.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Forty years after its birth on the streets and in the empty swimming pools of California, skateboarding has become a legitimate sport. Legend Tony Hawk has graced a "Got Milk?" ad, and skate parks are popping up in landlocked middle America. Although Brooke, a "skategeezer" and member of Toronto's Metro Longboarders, wrote this for skateboarding's retired, active, and future practitioners, any sports fan will enjoy this colorful crash course. After a brief prehistory, readers ride four "waves"Aa nod to surfingAfrom 1959 to the present. Within each, Brooke features skateboarding's inventors, investors, stars, companies, media, and technological advances in a magazine-like layout. Best of all are the smart-ass anecdotes (e.g., Bob Schmidt's "The Day They Invented Skateboarding") by skateboarders, which originally appeared on Brooke's Skategeezer home page. A four-part appendix lists skate pros, movies, competitions, and parks. A high-speed treat, even for the gravitationally challenged. Highly recommended, duuude.AHeather McCormack, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Author

I have been skateboarding since 1975 and run a website called the Skategeezer Homepage. It was this site that led to the publication of this book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Warwick Publishing (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894020545
• ISBN-13: 978-1894020541
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #762,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Skateboarding

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very well written and researched history of skateboarding., July 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding (Paperback)

It makes me feel old seeing as to how The Concrete Wave is a history book and most of the events mentioned happened in my lifetime. But I'm not over the hill by any stretch of the imagination. Hailing from Long Beach California I saw skate culture rise and fall and rise again in the 80's and 90's. Skate fashion, culture and music where very influential in my neighborhood. Many of my friends skated, not me, I had less coordination than the proverbial bull in the china shop. But it didn't stop me from making plenty of skater friends. There are many skate stories in the back of my mind. Author Michael Brooke helped me remember the better ones. The Concrete Wave is one of the best books I've picked up in a long while. Michael carefully researched and put together a fine read featuring articles and interviews from the biggest names in skating. The industry of skateboarding is not overlooked in this book. The founders and pioneers of the sport also have a prominent place in The Concrete Wave. There were a few things left out in this edition. Die hard skaters want more one-on-one interviews. Old-school skaters want more of the history. But for the first edition of any skateboarding history book, the Concrete Wave is interesting and great read. If you're an old-time skateboarder, someone who's never tried the sport or someone new to skateboarding I'd recommend The Concrete Wave highly. I look forward to reading every edition of the Concrete Wave down the road.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early History of Skateboarding, February 28, 2003

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding (Paperback)

This 1999 book is more like a bunch of 'zines stitched together than a straightforward histroy of skateboarding: There are lots of sidebars, numerous authors and topics, full-page illustrations that look like ads, and unexpected excursions into such areas as "Skateboards at the Movies."

Still, there's a lot of love within this book. Those of you who enjoyed the recent documentary, "Dogtown and the Z-Boys," will find a similar fan/participant enthusiasm here. The early years are emphasized: The index lists Tony Hawk on only about 10 pages, and the X-games on only 4 pages. Still, for a chronicle of (especially) the early years of skateboarding, for its photos, density of information, and the enthusiasm of the writers, this is a good book for the skateboarding fan. 197 pages of text, an index, lots of photos, and five interesting appendices: "Pros of the Last 40 Years," "Skateboards at the Movies," "Skateboard Competitions (through 1993 only)," "Memorable Skateparks of North America," and "Skate 'Zines." What's really needed is an updated version of the book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a REAL look at skateboarding by someone who skates!, July 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding (Paperback)

Finally a book about skateboarding that is actually written by someone who skates. The forword written by Rodney Mullen and the Alva interview also adds to the books credibility. Nice job.