Surfing Guide to Southern California (Paperback)

by David H. Stern (Author) "The map on the opposite page shows the areas into which this guide-book divides Southern California..." (more)
Key Phrases: takes any swell, peak takeoff, larger surf, Santa Monica, San Diego, Santa Barbara (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is a true surf classic. It is the first ever guide book to California and was done in 1963 when the coast was still uncrowded and pristine. It is still very accurate in that the coastline has changed very little although the land has been overrun. Check out the classic longboard photos.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Mountain & Sea; 35th Anniversary Nostalgia edition (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091144906X
• ISBN-13: 978-0911449068
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #760,798 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nostalgic look at the surf spots of Southern California, March 12, 1999

By	Sarah Jacobs ([e-mail]) (Boulder, Colorado) - See all my reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed every word and nostalgic picture in this book. I surfed many of the spots listed and it was insightful to re-visit them and realize that the book contained information that, as a 60's surfer, always was just plain instinctual. We knew when the good spots were breaking, we knew where, we had our favorites and our preferences for quality waves never ceased. Surfing Guide to Southern California provides insight to all of the surf breaks from Point Conception to Mexico,complete with surfing pictures and arial photography. It provides an enjoyable subtle humor so often lost in today's busy world. In addition, it successfully promotes, both then and now, the genre that is surfing. I was able to locate the book through Mountain and Sea Publishers, PO Box 126, Redondo Beach, California 90277, phone [phone].

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic resource - even after 35 years, May 13, 2000

By	calgolf723 - See all my reviews

Cleary and Stern capture the essence of SoCal surfing from the "golden years". Their descriptions of local surf spots are thorough and complete (unlike the bullet-point descriptions found in Bank Wright's "Surfing California", which is STILL a classic for the combination of photos, diagrams and general vibe). The authors obviously did their homework, and the grainy black and white photos add immeasurably to the feel and flavor of the time. Oh, yeah, the descriptions of the spots are pretty right on, too!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Guide Book Ever Written?, May 2, 2001

By	Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I've probably spent more time with this book than any other, except for the Bible. That's because SURFING GUIDE is the Bible of surfing guidebooks. For me, it's more than nostalgia. I actually used it quite a bit when it first came out, and I found its information very accurate. Of course, since I've been away from the Pacific for lo these many years now, it has become essentially a nostalgia trip. And since the surfing scene is so different now than when it was written, unless you're a full-bore retro longboarder (and I know there're lots of you out there), it's probably almost per se an exercise in nostalgia. But don't let that put you off. Cleary and Stern are very clever fellows and shrewd observers. Their wry observations and sly sensibilities propel this book out of its homely little genre and into the vast ocean of truly great reads.