It's been months since I wrote about a book I adored and ogled. Not because I haven't read or seen any books deserving of gongoozler love, but because a full schedule limits the time I have to write all the things these books deserve to have said about them. 

Recently, though, I moved into a new studio space and began unpacking loads of items I haven't seen in a year. Suddenly, I had a book in my hands that could be described simply while still getting its due. It seemed appropriate that this book reignite my book love series.

Surf to Skate - Evolution to Revolution Volume 1

It's easy to gongoozle a book with a unique shape and size, but Surf to Skate also includes snippets of history and enlarged photographs of unique skateboards from the 50s and 60s. More than that, the most wonderful thing is that this art book has soul. A coolness, a freedom. Like skateboarding itself.

In real life, vintage skateboards look a bit like this:

They can be pretty beat-up and gnarly. Unless one spends some decent cash for mint boards. Personally, as a not-so-serious collector, I like to see where previous riders put their feet or clipped a curb or scuffed the tail when tipping on a tight curve. It gives me the same feeling I get when I see the hand of an artist in their work. I connect instantly, human to human, and I know the work...or in this case, the board...better.

This is one reason I like Surf to Skate by Stanton Hartsfield and Jason Cohn.

The authors curated boards that clearly belonged to skaters. Skaters who loved and honored their boards. In the photographs, we see the wood grains and stains, construction, and graphics in great detail, but not in a perfect, never-been-ridden way. This elevates my collector experience without having to invest in expensive boards.

Photography - a Nash Goofy Foot skateboard

History - the story of the Wards Department Store board

Graphics - Dominion, out of Canada, puts their spin on art

When I was a kid, there were several skateboards in our family. Cheap plastic ones in an array of colors and one sturdy, heavy-gauge aluminum version in shiny, electric blue. Some neighborhood friends had wooden boards or longer sidewalk surfer boards. None were fancy or expensive. We were just middle class kids hanging out, hot-dogging, practicing this trick or that. Once the 80s hit, skateboard culture exploded and I caught the fever. I loved the boards, the fashion, the style. I didn't ride, though, or even have my own modern board. So, why did I gravitate toward skating? The coolness, the freedom? Sure. That's skateboarding's legacy. But it was also the simplicity.

Me and a board. Push off, pump the leg, glide. Fresh air all around, wheels turning, whirring, clacking on the pavement. I can actually feel myself moving forward, hear it. Riding toward my future. And the truth is all one has to do to conjure this sensation is to see a board. Which is why Surf to Skate stopped me in my unpacking tracks. I had to take a minute and sit down and remember that

getting where I need to go can be a pretty simple ride.