history revisited
Having lived and surfed through a lot of surfer magazine's history (vol. 5 onwards)it was interesting to return and relive the different snippets of history.More interesting is the fact we can now look back and see the outcomes or results of the different writers observations, offtakes, predictions or ramblings.

The History of Modern Surfing
I was surprised how much this book touched me. It was a short histroy of modern surfing. Excellent writing.

SURFER MAG!
The best of "Surfer" should include: "Owl Chapman interview/Dick Brewer interview"; "The North Shore Story" and "HB Run-on" by Drew Kampion; ALL of the Rick Griffin cartoons; "Surf Lines" by Reno Abelliera; "Hotel Dora" by Mickey Dora; "Dora interview"; BK interview; Phil Edwards interview; all the Jock Sutherland articles; Brad McCaul's interview; "River Jetties" photo-piece; Ron Stoner's "Blacks" photographs...they did include his trip to "Stoner's Point", and some other good photographs and articles. Surfer magazine has been in a decline, artistically, in my opinion, ever since John Severson left. Chuck Dent and Dora, to my mind, accurately depicted the death of surfing as an art, a canvas of personal expression, and it has degenerated into an extreme sport. Surfers today, rip, but they seem to be copying skateboarders and snowboarders, instead of finding their own path to enlightenment, cosmic conciousness, and the essence of the perfect moment. Small wave surfing has become a venue for silly tricks instead of style. Surfers used to seek respect from other surfers; now it's about corporate sponsorship, the dollar. They surf well, but you can't tell one from the other these days. It's kind of like watching guys surf Sunset Beach from the sand. Surfline is now a better net site, and produces a better surfing magazine, in my opinion.

Worth the Price
I do not subscribe to Surfer magazine because I find many of the articles inane, the focus on slash and burn surfing predictable, and the advertising offensive. But a 60 years of age, I am hardly the targeted audience. That said, the gems from over the years included in this book make for nice reads in most cases. I must say I have re-read several articles and will be taking this with me when I travel. Having Parmenter involved did not hurt my making the decision to buy the book. His writing is excellent.