"WHEN THE TEMPERATURE RISES AND VACATIONISTS FLOCK TO THE BEACHES, ONE FEELS SORRY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT LEARNED TO ENJOY SURF SWIMMING"
DRUMMOND, Ron. The Art of Wave Riding. (Hollywood, California: Cloister Press, 1931). Square octavo, staple-bound, original stiff wrappers; pp.26.
First edition of this classic work, one of only 500 copies, considered the first book on surfing, illustrated with 13 black-and-white photographs.
Ron Drummond is considered a legend in surfing circles, appearing in early surfing movies and magazines; he was still surfing well into his 80s. Self-published in an edition of only 500 copies, The Art of Wave Riding is, according to Mark Hayes' Early Surfing Books, "beyond rare," predating Tom Blake's Hawaiian Surfboard by four years. It gives detailed instructions for bodysurfing, accompanied by beautiful black-and-white photographs from Venice Beach in Los Angeles. "The landmark bodysurfing primer" (De La Vega).
A fine copy.