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1936-1942: SAN ONOFRE TO POINT DUME - FIRST EDITION SIGNED BY DON JAMES, CRAIG STECYK III AND TOM ADLER
(JAMES, DON). James, Don. Foreword by C.R. Stecyk III. Santa Barbara, CA: T. Adler Books, 1996. First Edition. Oblong 8vo. 1/4 Linen Over Boards in DJ. Photography Monograph. Fine/Fine. 140pp, profusely illustrated in color and b&w. This is the true first, privately printed edition of Don James' nostalgic look at the apparent paradise that was Southern California surf culture from 1936-1942. Published as a labor of love by noted graphic designer Tom Adler, this beautifully produced book features superior paper stock and far better print quality than the 1998 Chronicle Books reprint, and is definitely one of the coolest books about longboarding ever! This example is from the 1996 trade edition (NOT one of the publisher's numbered deluxe edition of three hundred and fifty copies), and as the photographer sadly passed away less than two weeks after the book's publication, there are but a handful of these available. A most handsome, nearly unique example (entry D73 in Timothy DeLa Vega's "200 Years of Surfing Literature: An Annotated Bibliography") additionally BOLDLY SIGNED by Don James, surf historian and essayist Craig Stecyk III, and designer/publisher Tom Adler in black in on the title page in the publisher's unprinted vellum dust jacket, as issued. Inventory Number: 018901