Pictured above is the pioneer of surfing Montgomery ‘Buttons’ Kaluhiokalani shot by the legendary photographer Jeff Divine.

The Book Of Surfing by Michael Fordham is a one-stop guide to our surfing planet. There is something here for every surfer, from insider essentials to making the ride of your life and the stories of surfing’s legendary underground heroes to throwing your own beach party – Hawaiian style; and from iconic surf spots around the world to the ultimate surfer’s playlist. Featuring over 300 images, including many by the world’s leading surf photographers, this is the twenty-first century’s most comprehensive dispatch from the heart of surf culture.

Source: The Book of Surfing

Guillermo Del Toro will be directing The Hobbit. And briefly, for those that don’t know, Guillermo Del Toro is the man behind Hellboy & Pan’s Labyrinth…and The Hobbit is the prequel to Lord of the Rings... One of our favorite trilogy’s of all time. Like Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, del Toro has a soft-spot for the traditions of model-making and real-world workshop effects - something that he intends to carry through to The Hobbit.

He explained, “You have to be very careful not to rely on a single tool – and this is another thing that I share a passion for with Peter Jackson. We both are huge fans of ‘old-world’ techniques like maquettes, models, miniatures, paintings – and in the case of The Hobbit, I do intend to continue this trend and bring much more animatronics into the mix.

“We need to keep that art form alive, because it brings a textural power to the movie that ultimately affects the content. The creatures somehow seem more tactile and more tangible than CG.”

It’s clear that The Hobbit will continue the artistry of the model-making seen previously in del Toro’s previous work – but he’s not one to neglect the power of computer animation either. “I think that some creatures are better served by being completely CG and others are better served by being completely animatronic – and others are only possible if you mix the two.”

Source: IGN

SkateBook was created by Salman Agah and renowned photographer Michael Ballard. SkateBook presents skateboarding’s most iconic moments, individuals, events, eras, brands and the culture as a whole in a hardcover book and on the web. It is available at finer shops for FREE.

Of particular interest in this new installment of SkateBook, Volume 2 contains a John Cardiel photo essay, a Ben Schroeder profile, James Kelch feature, Stevie Williams time-line and a retrospective on Steve Caballero.

SkateBook Volume 2 is available now at UNIV in Encinitas, CA.

Check out more images HERE.

Need A New Board? Visit CCS BELOW.

CCS – The World’s Largest Skateboard Shop.

Source: High Snobiety

“Spaced Out: Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties” explores the crash pads, hippie communes, infinity machines and other far-out dwellings of the time period. Author Alastair Gordon, whose other works have dealt primarily with the clean modernism of airports and mid-century Hamptons homes, turned his attention to the design, architecture and visual culture of LSD-inspired era, much of which hadn’t been adequately preserved or documented until now.

The full-color over-sized book features a stunning collection of 450 photographs and color illustrations of geodesic domes, elaborate trailers, tree-houses and the people who inhabited them. (See more images after the jump.) The message is clear: self-taught architects who created the free-form asymmetrical structures with curving walls and womb like interiors were working in direct defiance of the white picket fence suburban culture they felt was toxic.

You can read experts and see videos of light projects by Tony Martin on the Spaced Out website. The book is available on Amazon.

Source: Cool Hunting

As a mainstay in the skateboard community, Salman Agah, seems to have done it all. As a professional, he pioneered switch-stance skateboarding in the early 90’s, received one of skateboarding’s highest honors as Thrasher’s Skater of the Year, and had a signature shoe with Vans. He has kept his scene alive through skatebook.tv, a website dedicated to celebrating skateboarding’s past, present and future. Agah recently teamed up with legendary photographer Mike Ballard to create a series of coffee table books simply called, Skatebook. These epic 300-page pieces of visual excellence are filled with photos, quotes, write-ups, and tons of behind the scenes commentary on the last few decades of skateboarding.

“we are all about Skateboarding, having a good time and seeing each other improve.”

See More »

From gruesome masterbation accidents to airplane-hijacking suicide cults, Chuck Palahniuk’s novels are always centered around some crazy shit. Most famous for writing Fight Club, Palahnuik is gearing up to release his new book Snuff, which focuses in on the adult film industry.

The story follows fictional porn star Cassie Wright as she films a record-breaking sex scene with 600 men. As a promo for the book (which comes out on May 20th), they’ve filmed fake trailers for a few of Cassie’s supposed movies, including The Wizard of Ass and Chitty Chitty Gang Bang.

A History of the Hip-Hop Generation
By: Jeff Chang

“Hip-hop is the voice of this generation. Even if you didn’t grow up in the Bronx in the ’70s, hip-hop is there for you. It has become a powerful force. Hip-hop binds all of these people, all of these nationalities, all over the world together.” - DJ Kool Herc, from the Introduction

Forged in the fires of the Bronx and Kingston, Jamaica, hip-hop became the Esperanto of youth rebellion and a generation-defining movement. In a post-civil rights era defined by deindustrialization and globalization, hip-hop crystallized a multiracial, polycultural generation’s worldview, and transformed American politics and culture. But that epic story has never been told like this. From the gangs of the late 60s to the icons of the new millennium, from the Ghetto Brothers and Universal Zulu Nation organizations to the hip-hop activists, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop presents the hip-hop generation in all its grime and glory with breadth, wit, and style.

Based on original interviews with DJs, b-boys, rappers, graffiti writers, activists, and gang members, with unforgettable portraits of many of hip-hop’s forebears, founders, and mavericks, including DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, and Ice Cube, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop chronicles the events, the ideas, the music, and the art that marked the hip-hop generation’s rise from the ashes of the 60s into the new millennium. Here is a powerful cultural and social history of the end of the American century, and a provocative look into the new world that the hip-hop generation created.

Source: The Giant Peach

Dubbed “the bad boy of cuisine” for his rock-star look and blunt observations about the world of restaurants, chefs and cooking, Anthony Bourdain is not your typical celebrity chef. Bourdain has been known for being an unrepentant drinker and smoker. Adding to his untamed image, Bourdain is a former user of cocaine, heroin, poppers, and LSD. A 28-year veteran of professional kitchens, Bourdain is the Chef-at-Large at New York’s famed bistro, Les Halles. His exposé of New York restaurants attracted huge attention in the U.S.A. and the U.K. It formed the basis of his critically acclaimed 2001 book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, which described in lurid detail his experiences in kitchens and became a surprise international best-seller.

Tony’s quest for the perfect dining experience was then smartly documented in his own television series: No Reservations. In No Reservations, Tony’s journey takes him to people and places far beyond the realm of food. Following his wanderlust, the show has taken the audience to far-out and familiar places, from Iceland to Vietnam and the Greek Islands to Indonesia. Having known about Bourdain for quite some time now, I thought I’d educate all the rookies who are unaware of his legendary lifestyle. Check out Bourdain on the Travel Channel as he travels around the world seeking the authentic experiences and food that flavor the world’s cultures.

The first and only collection of unpublished works by Kurt Vonnegut since his death — a fitting tribute to the author, and an essential contribution to the discussion of war, peace, and humanity’s tendency toward violence.

Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace. Imbued with Vonnegut’s trademark rueful humor, the pieces range from a visceral nonfiction recollection of the destruction of Dresden during World War II — an essay that is as timely today as it was then — to a painfully funny short story about three Army privates and their fantasies of the perfect first meal upon returning home from war, to a darker, more poignant story about the impossibility of shielding our children from the temptations of violence. Also included are Vonnegut’s last speech as well as an assortment of his artwork, and an introduction by the author’s son, Mark Vonnegut.

When a personal tragedy ambushes his existence, Aaron Adams is forced to reexamine his life, realizing that without a major change he will be forever trapped in a cycle of boredom and depression. But embarking on a fresh start will test him emotionally at every turn - and the past is not so easily left behind - in the new romance by Robert Taylor, “Adrift: A Novel” (published by AuthorHouse.)

Life in Nyack, N.Y., had become a repetitive bore for Aaron Adams since graduating from college. But the untimely death of his mother changes everything. Not knowing how to put the pieces back together, Aaron throws a dart at a globe - it hits Tuscany in Italy. Abandoning his two best friends (one of them an unrequited love), Aaron leaves for Tuscany wanting nothing more than a fresh start. He finds himself standing on the banks of the Lima River in Bagni di Lucca, where a stranger and an unexpected connection await him. Fabrizio has also lost his mother. Together they forge a bond unlike anything Aaron has ever experienced. The close friends become lovers, sharing their grief and imagining a future with each other.

However, Aaron’s ties to America remain firmly knotted, and he soon finds himself back in the States at the side of his best friend, who may or may not awake from a coma after a terrible car accident. In the midst of this tragedy, Aaron is surprised to learn that a final chapter remains to be written in his relationship with the man he loved before he left New York. Follow Aaron’s journey of discovery as he battles and embraces the grief‚Äôs and loves of a tumultuous period and comes to terms with his sexuality in”Adrift,” the stunning, witty and emotional debut novel by Robert Taylor.

Robert Taylor is a recent graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Journalism. He has worked for Wizard Magazine and has been a popular and well-respected online columnist and journalist for the past five years, currently hanging his hat at Comic Book Resources, writing the weekly interview column “Reflections.” He also edits Artemis, a feminist magazine.

I have known Bob for quite some time now, almost nine years to be exact. After graduating from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron together, we parted ways with different aspirations in mind. Bob is a great guy and I want to personally congratulate him on his success and wish him the best of luck. Adrift is a must read and is sold online and at all major bookstores nationwide.