The First Book on Surfing

In 1914 photographer and surfer A.R. Gurrey self-published what is now believed to be the first book devoted solely to surfing, The Surf Riders of Hawaii. Combining his own photos and prose alongside poetry from Lord Byron, Gurrey explored the sensorial adventure of the sport. Most of the photos were shot from the water while riding in an outrigger canoe between 1910 and 1914. More than 100 years later there are six known copies left. According to Sotheby’s auction history, in 2011 an edition of the rare six-page book sold for $37,500. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 28th, 2013 at 8:00 am. It is filed under Creative Culture, Surfing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.