Overview

Over the last forty years, surfing has emerged from its Pacific islands origins to become a global industry. Since its beginnings more than a thousand years ago, surfing’s icon has been the surf- board—its essential instrument, the point of physical connection between human and nature, body and wave. Based on research in three important surfing locations—Hawai‘i, southern California, and southeastern Australia—this is the first book to trace the surf- board from regional craft tradition to its key role in the billion-dollar surfing business. Hawai‘i, California, and Australia are much more than sites of surfboard manufacturing. Their surfboard workshops are hives of creativity where legacies of rich cultural heritage and the local environment combine to produce unique, bold board designs customized to suit prevailing waves. The authors follow the story of board makers who have survived these challenges and explores the heritage of the craft, the secrets of custom board production, the role of local geography in shaping board styles, and the survival of hand-crafting skills. From the olo boards of ancient Hawaiian kahuna to the high- tech designs that represent the current state of the industry, Surfing Places, Surfboard Makers offers an entre?e into the world of surf- board making that will find an eager audience among researchers and students of Pacific culture, history, geography, and economics, as well as surfing enthusiasts.

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9780824839437

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[a] lively, clearly written study . . . Utilizing an impressive combination of investigative tools drawn from geography, history, sociology and economics, all handled adroitly.-- The Hawaiian Journal of History

Author Information

Andrew Warren is a human geographer from Wollongong, Australia, who grew up surfing local breaks around his hometown. Chris Gibson is professor of human geography at the Australian Centre for Cultural Environmental Research at the University of Wollongong, Australia.

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