About the Book

From its starting point as a simple wooden plank to the high-tech models of today, the skateboard has undergone a dramatic evolution. Skateboard explores the golden eras of skateboarding through over 100 boards that brought about turning points in the sport’s history.

Across six thematic chapters, organised chronologically by decade, the book focuses on the materials, designs, and events that have defined the art, sport, and culture of skateboarding. Developed in close collaboration with Converse – a brand engrained in skateboarding culture since its inception – Skateboard is packed with information and insights about the people and events that have shaped the sport, with more than 500 illustrations spanning newly studio-shot and historical images that fully capture the skateboard’s technical, makeup and structural development across time.

Each board featured in the book – from the 1963 Skee-Skate to the 1989 Mike Vallely pro model – is photographed to scale, allowing the reader to gauge the board’s individual flair and size in relation to its counterparts, and accompanied by engaging text from author, designer, and former skater Jonathan Olivares. Pro models of iconic skaters such as Laura Thornhill, Ray ‘Bones’ Rodriquez, Tony Hawk, Natas Kaupas, and Mike Vallely are also brought to life in a selection of archival action shots.

Skateboard features a foreword by Paul ‘Professor’ Schmitt.

About the Author

Jonathan Olivares is an industrial designer. He established his Los Angeles-based practice in 2006 and his clients include Vitra, Knoll, and Kvadrat. Olivares’s work has been published internationally, granted several design awards – including Italy’s Compasso d’Oro – and is included in the permanent design collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Art Museum, and the Vitra Design Museum.

MEET THE PUBLISHER

Name: Skateboard
Brand: Phaidon
SKU: 24289
Price: 40.00 GBP
Availability: OutOfStock

Phaidon

Phaidon is the premier global publisher of the creative arts, working with the world’s most influential authors to produce innovative books on art, photography, design, architecture, fashion, food, and travel, and illustrated books for children. Phaidon has a long and distinguished history as an art-book publisher with over 1,500 titles in print.

The company was founded in Vienna in 1923 by Dr Béla Horovitz and Ludwig Goldscheider. Horovitz named the company Phaidon in reference to Phaedo, a Greek philosopher and pupil of Socrates, to acknowledge his love of classical culture. Horovitz created quality books at an affordable price while Goldscheider contributed elegant layouts and handsome production.

The 1970s saw a great expansion in the number of staff employed by Phaidon and the number of titles it published. Like many other publishers at the time, Phaidon diversified into a range of subject areas and began to buy-in titles from publishers abroad. In October 2012, Phaidon came under new ownership and its new senior management team began the task of growing the company for the long term as the world’s leading publisher of books in the visual arts, food, and children’s markets.

Publishing successes in subsequent years expanded the growing art program to include books made in collaboration with the global superstar Rihanna, NIKE, photographer Annie Leibovitz, fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, the streetwear brand Supreme, and Cecily Brown, one of many cutting-edge artists in the company’s iconic Contemporary Artists Series. More recently, Phaidon has successfully added interior design to its core publishing categories.

Phaidon’s beautiful illustrated books are treasured worldwide for their outstanding content and award-winning production, and feature the finest creative work from leading innovators in all areas of the arts, architecture, design, photography, interior design, travel, and food.

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