Greg Noll, The Art of the Surf Board (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Greg Noll (Introduction) "Greg Noll is the most mythic of big-wave surfers..." (more)
Key Phrases: hot curl, beach board, foam era, Greg Noll, North Shore, Duke Kahanamoku (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Leafing through the pages of "The Art of the Surfboard" wears you out, just from the sheer impact of Noll's personality. Kampion -- a longtime surf writer with a canny feel for the history of the sport -- pretty much captures the many facets of Noll's contributions to surfing and also resists the overheated surf-magazine puffery. Noll emerges not as a god, but as a talented guy good with both his hands and his brain. "Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard" zeroes in on Greg Noll and on the art of surfboard craftsmanship, and does so with savvy good humor. -- Honolulu Star Bulletin, March 2007

There's a beautiful coffee-table book coming out from Gibbs Smith called Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard. It's got all the longboard designs from the prison-shorts, big-wave surfer. -- Publishers Weekly, Notes From The Bookroom, March 30, 2007

Product Description

One of the greatest surfers of all time, Greg Noll has built a considerable reputation as master of surfboard making, or "shaping." Today, collectors and surfers alike prize his unique brand of board. Recently featured in the award-winning documentary feature, Riding Giants, "Da Bull," in his iconic black-and-white striped trunks, was emblematic of big surf and fearless commitment. In addition to being a pioneer of big-wave surfing, surf movies, and surf magazines, by the mid-1960s, Noll was one of the largest surfboard manufacturers in the world.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; 1 edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586857762
• ISBN-13: 978-1586857769
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #244,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watermen, Craftsmen & Surfers, April 25, 2007

By	M. Kaylor (Monarch Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book transcends art by combining a culture, a sport, a quasi-religion (at least for us Surfers) and the unique aspect of all surfboards, save the last few years, being hand made by craftsmen that placed their love of the ocean and riding its waves above the normal quest for money and power.
The Nolls are true 'Royalty' of our sport. They represent many of the qualities that are becoming increasingly lost on our youth today. With their steadfast devotion to replicating boards ridden by surfing's forefathers they show their respect to the foundation of our sport.
Thank you for your continued leadership in our sport.
A great read, a great book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Characters, May 26, 2007

By	Allan Weisbecker (Montauk, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Surfing is a pastime/activity/obsession/lifestyle (I can't bring myself to call it a... sport) unique in its history and characters (think renegades), and Noll is a unique character/renegade/lunatic even amongst that lot. Kampion, aside from being a character/renegade/lunatic his own self, is simply THE historian/chronicler/storyteller of the pastime/activity/obsession/lifestyle.

To put it another way: If you're over 40 and surf this book is mandatory.

If you're under 40 and surf: "mandatory" means you should read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story behind the wave craft..., June 18, 2007

By	Mark Zito "Writer/Surfer" (Carlsbad, CA USA) - See all my reviews

An infinitely deep look at THE quintessential legend of surfing, "Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard" is an honest, "no rock left unturned" retrospective of surfboard shaper/surfer/waterman Greg Noll. Leaf through the pages of this book and you're instantly captivated by a virtual kaleidescope of Noll's meticulously handcrafted, functional works of art, coupled with a treasure trove of stories well worth telling.

Kampion, a "literary savant of surfing's cultural record", has chronicled just about every aspect of the sport of kings, making him a natural choice to weave this tale. Here he takes on the insurmountable task of capturing Noll's endless contributions to surfcraft with his characteristic thirst for all things water-related.

The sheer amount of research that went into this book is unimaginable, and yet somehow reading it feels like you're simply talking story, Hawaiian style.

The best part about this book is that it's not just a historical register: Kampion also turns his lens at Noll's son Jed, and we get a glimpse of how Greg's skills with a sander and Surform are being passed down to another generation of board builders.

With every turn, "The Art of the Surfboard" is pure aloha. And no filler.