Stoked! A History of Surf Culture

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 beachboys, 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. This revised second edition has updated text and new photographs. With a foreword by legendary surf filmmaker Bruce Brown, whose seminal film, The Endless Summer, captured the essence of the surfing lifestyle, Stoked is the lavishly illustrated history of the legends and the places, the artifacts and the trends, that continue to give surf culture its universal allure and appeal.