Isle Pages

I distinctly remember hacksawing up a pair of metal skates and nailing the pieces to a 2X4, then stepping on this new-fangled "skateboard" and cracking my head. The pain comes back, looking at this book, but it's worth it, and you hotdoggers out there know it, as you gloriously ride the elements atop bits of metal, wood or foam. A "definitive" history this ain't, it's mostly a gallery of Brisick's wonderful, edgy photos, but any history at all of one of the biggest sports and cultural phenomenons of the 20th century is way overdue. The artistic maps are great.

Visitors love shooting pictures here because no matter what they snap, it's something they can't see at home, whether it's a gorgeous sunset on the ocean or an unconscious politician on the City Hall lawn. This inexpensive book is filled with lovely, oversaturated pictures and useful tips both equipment-wise (digital cameras are given short shrift) and about picturesque locations (one obvious tip from the book but not expressed -- have a cute wife along dressed in a sarong).

There's a science to surfing? Actually, this is a basic oceanography textbook that explains simply and completely how waves are generated -- particularly how big waves are born. Slightly pumped up from an earlier Australian edition, this is extremely well-illustrated and compiled, but it also isn't an armchair relaxer. The very breadth of data between the cover actually creates a sinking feeling -- will we be quizzed on this? Omigawd, some chapters have suggested reading lists and questions!

Everything about everything, placed in a logical scientific, historical and cultural continuum by the smartest kid in the class. This is Reinking's long-delayed revenge for getting beat up after school.

There are some people who never cease to fascinate, and the great athlete and Hawaiian ambassador Duke Kahanamoku is one of them. This is kind of a keepsake, companion volume to Hall's earlier "Memories of Duke" (with Greg Ambrose) and an easier introduction to the life of the most famous Hawaiian of all time. The pictures are well-presented (apparently, I provided one) and the text is geared for younger readers. This keeper ought to be translated into several languages.

Catch 'em if you can up in Ketchikan! If you're casting lines in the Great White North, this handy guide is a gotta-have. If not, spend your money on a pound of smoked salmon and vicariously consume the adventure at home.