Early California Surfriders [Hardcover]

Jim Feuling (Author), Doc Ball (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 103 pages
• Publisher: Pacific Publishing; 1 edition (January 1995)
• ISBN-10: 0967170702
• ISBN-13: 978-0967170701
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,584,941 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Pioneer Spirit, January 1, 2002

By 

Gary E Lynch (Cambria, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early California Surfriders (Hardcover)

Doc's 1946 book is a fantastic collection of pre WW II surfing photographs. If one carefully studies the names and places, you will find the book is a priceless historical document. The photo titles are humorous and innocent which also reflects the period in which they were taken. Any student of surf history and/or surfing photography should by all means purchase this book. Doc not only invented and pioneered his camera's waterhousings, but also the beginnings of the surf photographer's eye. He was a good friend of Tom Blake's and many of the other early California surfers. Dr. John Heath Ball, DDS. will be remembered not only as the father of surf photography, but as a positive and innovative force in the early history of California surfing.

5.0 out of 5 stars great chronicle of a lost era, January 12, 2011

By 

P. M. White "surfzilla" (El Aay) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Early California Surfriders (Hardcover)

Smoking creamers! That's what they used to call big waves, dig? Any surfer with an appreciation of the history of the sport will find this book a treasure. Pictures of the likes of Leroy Grannis and Dorian Paskowitz and Gard Chapin (Miki Dora's stepfather), hollow boards, and recognizable waves in alien surroundings ("That's Malibu all right, but where's all the postwar development?!") make this book a piece of extreme cool.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment!, December 14, 2001

By 

Jon Stephen Strebler "dagooster" (Chula Vista, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Early California Surfriders (Hardcover)

This book was on my WishList for over a year, and then it took 2 months to arrive after ordering it. What a disappointment after all that time!

The book consists of a bunch of photos, some of which are pretty cool, but most of which are mediocre at best. There is no text, except for a one-page introduction, and another one-page tribute to George Freeth. Comments that accompany each photo are superficial, repetetive, and often just plain dorky. After 35 years of surfing California myself, and reading all the magazines, books, etc. over those years, this was a big letdown. I expected a lot more. ... the thing is way over-priced, unless you happen to big a big Doc Ball fan and/or are one of the old-timers in the photos. If not, save your dough.