Stoked! A History of Surf Culture (Hardcover)

by Drew Kampion (Author) "Extraordinary things have occurred in the surfing world over the last five years..." (more)
Key Phrases: North Shore, Tom Blake, Greg Noll (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
With incredible vintage and recent photography, Stoked! illustrates beautifully that surfers are tuned to a different rhythm... -- New York Sportscene, July 2002

Product Description
$39.95 hardcover * 1-58685-213-2 * May

10 x 10 in, 224 pp, 150 Color Photographs,

Rights: W, Sports

Once the sport of Polynesian kings, surfing embodies the ultimate encounter between man and nature. Played out on the beaches and breaking waves of the world's continental fringes, surfing is the epitome of a classic cult of freedom and individual expression-an arena not only for survival but for grace under pressure, style, and artistic invention. Yet surfing is more than just riding the waves-it's a lifestyle, a state of mind, a subculture with its own codes and heroes.

In Stoked: A History of Surf Culture, surf journalist Drew Kampion traces the evolution of the modern beach culture and the challenging, beautiful sport that gave rise to it. From its Polynesian origins and the early days of Duke Kahanamoku's beach boys, to the California-style surfing cult that exploded in the 1960s, to the international pro circuits and radical big-wave contests of today, Stoked tells the compelling story that has inspired entire genres of music, movies, fashion, and art.

Drew Kampion is a writer, editor, and photographer who lives on Whidbey Island near Seattle. He graduated from California State College at Northridge and is a former editor of Surfer, Surfing, and Windsurfer magazines. Kampion is an avid surfer and writes about the sport regularly.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith; Revised edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586852132
• ISBN-13: 978-1586852139
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #190,957 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drop Into This, September 14, 2003

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

Of all the surf books I've reviewed, this is, by far, the best to date. Kampion does it right with just the right amount of detail, written words and appropriate photos. He has encapsulated the history of the sport in a beautiful coffee-table sized book and it is the one book that outstokes all the rest. The title says it all with each page bringing out the "stoke" of the moment reported. Kampion knows how to capture the feeling without even getting wet!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't call yourself a surfer if you don't have this!, August 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stoked: A History of Surf Culture (Hardcover)

Few would argue with the statement that Drew Kampion is the world's best surf journalist. John Severson created the industry, and Kampion has perfected it over the last 30 years. Documenting the history of this ever-shifting subculture is a extremely difficult task, especially since surfers consider themselves "counter-culture."

In Stoked, Kampion touches on every element of surfing culture throughout surf history, and he does so in easy-to-swallow, bite-sized pieces. The Duke, Tom Blake, Malibu, Dora, Lopez, Tom, and Kelly are all here. And the photos are phenomenal. Every classic shot is here: Da Bull at Pipe, the first Day at Waimea, the first issue of The Surfer, and some soon to be classics, like some beautiful tow-in stuff.

To call yourself a real surfer, you must pay homage to those before you who made it possible. You gotta know your history. Drew Kampion brings you the soul of the sport through time, and he makes it lively and fun. Get it! .

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visually oriented historical survey, September 19, 2003

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Now in a new and expanded edition, Stoked! A History Of Surf Culture by writer, photographer, and surfing expert Drew Kampion (who was also a former editor of "Surfer," "Surfing," "Wind Surf" and "Wind Tracks" magazines) is an informative, adventurous, visually oriented historical survey of a wildly popular sport -- and the people who embraced and developed it. Gorgeous full-color photographs stir visions of wind and wave, while the accessible text traces the love, lore, and sometimes tragedy of this exciting pastime down through the years. Stoked! is enthusiastically recommended -- especially for surfing enthusiasts!