Surfer Magazine

Over its six decades in print (1960-2020) the legendary Surfer magazine was considered to be the bible of surfing and surf culture. This carefully curated anthology, showcasing the best covers and interior pages serves as a quintessential reference guide to the history of surfing, surf style and design.

Founded in 1960 by surfer, artist, and filmmaker John Severson, Surfer was the longest continuously published surf magazine, referred to as ‘the bible of the sport’. Surfer was firmly established as the sport’s leading voice, serving as a template for a small but growing number of surf magazines around the world. Featuring a mix of travel articles, contest reporting, surf spot profiles, big wave pictorials, and surfer interviews, Surfer worked with the world’s best photographers, writers, and graphic designers. This voluminous anthology features the most timeless, inspirational, and historically significant covers and interior pages from the magazine’s extensive archive and depicts the chronological progression of the sport, the gear, the style, and the world’s top surfers throughout the decades, from Mickey Dora to Kelly Slater and Laird Hamilton. This is the perfect book for those who surf or spend time in the ocean and for anyone interested in a historical reference guide to modern day surfing and its highly influential style and subculture.

Author Biography

Grant Ellis was the photo editor of Surfer magazine for 17 years (2003-2020). He is the photo editor at Surfer’s Journal and continues his career as a surf photographer.