The Perfect Day: 40 Years of Surfer Magazine [Hardcover]

Sam George (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

"In this crowded world, the surfer can still seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, to be alone with the surf and his thoughts." The editorial signoff to Surfer magazine's very first issue--which was distributed from the back of a Volkswagen van in 1960--still defines a surfer's dream 40 years later. And Surfer magazine is still delivering that dream in monthly installments of the most cutting-edge surfing photographs and journalism printed anywhere. The Perfect Day celebrates 40 years of breaking waves with a collection of the finest from Surfer's famed archives. Its colorful pages are packed with the stunning images that have captured surfing's biggest moments and the compelling articles that have provided the voice for generations of surfers in search of the perfect day and the perfect wave.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This wonderful collection of photographs and prose from Surfer magazine attractively captures the spirit and enthusiasm of the people who live to catch the next great wave. Skillfully edited and arranged by decade, The Perfect Day reflects, both in pictures and words, the evolution of the publication itself, from a fanzine for a small community of Californians to a legitimate magazine keeping pace with the exponential growth and globalization of the sport.

There is truly something for everyone here, with excerpts on the philosophy of surfing, an enthusiast's letter home from Vietnam, and a piece on riding up an English river during high tide. The stories memorialize and reminisce about dramatic contests, known personalities, waves caught and missed, and some that should have been left alone. The photographs are spectacular, from skinny, mutton-chopped guys cutting lazy arcs on longboards, to a tension-charged photo of a surfer atop a 20-foot wave, to a page brimming with an ominous wall of water.

Surfing is not without danger, and the moment you go under is best described as "[t]he moment when all possibilities are exhausted; when there are no alternatives, not even a good, decent panic; when there is nothing to do but divorce your mind from your body and watch the latter take a pounding." The Perfect Day is a noteworthy chronicle of humankind's craving for this particular form of excitement. After perusing its contents, you'll swear you have wax on your feet and sand in your hair--a perfect day indeed. --Michael Ferch

About the Author

Sam George currently editor of Surfer magazine, has been a professional surfer, world traveler, television host, and magazine writer. When not out searching for surf, he lives on a bluff overlooking the sea in Dana Point, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 168 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811831175
• ISBN-13: 978-0811831178
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #952,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PERFECT? pretty darn good!, May 31, 2001

By 

"filthbarrel" (newcastle, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Day: 40 Years of Surfer Magazine (Hardcover)

I was pretty excited when I saw this book - the anticipation of a chronicle of surfing history as seen through Surfer Magazine made a month of [cruddy] surf seem not so bad. The book is a big glossy coffee table number choc full of content reflecting the different eras of surfing - the incoming tide of surfing popularity (the 60s), the high tide of surfing popularity and commercialism (the 70s) the king tide of commercialism and professionalism (the 80s) and the tidal wave of popularity, tow ins, Slaterism, commercialism and professionalism (the 90s).

The foreword by undisputed big word writer Matt Warshaw (you sometimes just about need a tow in to get ya head around the way MW occasionally turns a phrase), lets it be known that he is currently writing a 500 000 word Encyclopedia of Surfing - due in about 18 months - put me down for two! MW sets up the tone of the book by stating that banal text can be found throughout Surfer, but next to such garbage one can find gems - and that's what SG has done here. This is no easy job - it's a bit like naming the Top Ten surfers of all time - you are gonna get arguments about why such and such is cool and fantastic while the other is boring as bat poo.

I suppose this walk down the memory lane did it for me nostalgia wise. Surfing has got a history (or lots of histories), and along with Kampion's Stoked and Warshaw's Surfriders, the book is a must buy for those who want to see where surfing has come from without having to flick thru the mags themselves (those of them you can still get your hands on anyway).

Surfer wasn't afraid to criticise the sport, its officials, its exploiters, its takers, nor was it shy to go in hard on environmental rapists and stupid government and fatheaded bureaucracy. And this collection reflects that.

I suppose my only criticism is that it doesn't contextualise the articles and why they were chosen in a manner that thematically exposes the areas of concern for the anthologist. But then again, SG would probably argue that it didnt set out to do that - read the articles and draw your own conclusion pal. I know that, but I would have really liked the book to tie the articles together with themes rather than chronologically -you know, the different attitudes over the past four decades to women, localism, travel, Hawaii etc.

Oh yea, one more thing - the book was published in April 2001 - at about the same time Lopez had won the second round of the ASP world tour, which was at Teahupoo. Yet the cover of the book is of Lopez at Teahupoo . Spooky? Karma? Foresight? Lucky?

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Read This to Glorify Surfer Magazine, Not Surfing, July 9, 2001

By 

R. E. Poz "Surf Fox" (LONG BEACH, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Day: 40 Years of Surfer Magazine (Hardcover)

Just as sad and unfortunate as missing the wave-of-the-day on the last day of a lifetime surf expedition, The Perfect Day missed the opportunity to do something really important for the ocean-loving community. This glossy coffee-table pantheon of glory to Surfer Magazine focuses on the lame, inane and myopic words of the professional surfer like they mean or represent something. Except for a very small token of tribute to the heart and soul of surfing (Rell Sunn, Miki Dora) and the environment ("turds in the impact zone"), Surfer pats itself on its commercialized back offering no more than a "me, me, me" mentality of self-praise for being Surfer Magazine. Instead of using this fantastic opportunity to offer something back to the community for what surfing has done for Surfer or how we can help our needy Mother Ocean continue to offer choice surf, they blow it, missing the wave-of-a-lifetime in the process. While the quiet surfers were in the water, Surfer Magazine, with their sponsored pros, were lined up at the bank totally missing this "Perfect Day".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Less Than Perfect, March 9, 2002

By 

surfresearch (South East Australia.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Day: 40 Years of Surfer Magazine (Hardcover)

Ultimately this collection must be a disappointment, the task of compressing 40 years into a mere 168 pages a near impossibility. The photography is to the expected high standard, but in many cases the selected articles are abriged versions. Apart from the difficult decisions as to what as in and what was out, there are no Surfer Tips, Design Features or World Contest Reports. Where is the Duke Kahanamoku - Surfer of the Century issue, circa 1999? Where is the full catalogue of Surfer covers (a selection only is provided on the end papers)? Selections are identified by issue number only, dates would have been a simple but significant addition. Worst of all, this publication probably supplants the future possibility of individual volumes by decade that would have provided the scale to do such a project justice.
Text Highlights : Phil Edwards : What is Good page 10 , John Witzig : We're Tops Now page 24, George Greenough page 27, Bob McTavish pages 32-33, Craig Stecyk : Curse of the Cumash pages 68-69.