I’ve been pouring through these two books lately. The first one is the Disposable Skateboard Bible, which is exactly what it says it is. No great surprise how good this one is, considering how well done the first one was, I wasn’t expecting anything other than excellent, and i wasn’t disappointed. Of particular interest is a wealth of 60’s era decks not covered by anyone else to date with the exception of Rhyn Noll’s disappointing collector’s guide. Disposable even has a red ribbon in the binding that you can use to mark your place in the book, just as fancy editions of the actual Bible do. What I did find surprising is how much I am enjoying Made for Skate. I’m not a sneaker freak by any definition, so I didn’t have high expectations, but was pleasantly surprised by how engrossing it was.

Well this is it. The last installment of Skateboarding Action, courtesy of Carl Warren. We laughed, we cried, we bailed. Here’s Bill Tocco and some information on buying a skateboard. Today’s skateboards are stronger, bigger, more colorful, and have more protective plastic than ever before. Enlarge-o-rama. Previous installments: Eight – Seven – Six – Five – Four – Three – Two – One

People who skateboard on ramps are called “vertical skaters.” People who skateboard on anything they can find are called “street skaters.” And people who ride on flat ground only are called “freestyle skaters.” Freestyle skaters are usually the most graceful. They do handstands, jumps, spins, and twirls, often performing planned routines set to music. They are the “ice skaters” of skateboarding. More Skateboard Action from Carl Warren. Thanks human! Enlarge-o-rama! Who is that dude? Previous installments: Six – Five – Four – Three – Two – One

A lot of people are excited about this book. Disposable was reprinted in several editions with additions. The Disposable Skateboard Bible (Or Disposable II, depending on where you look) is available from Gingko Press. I’ve got conflicting information on cover art and page counts, but I’ll find out soon enough when my copy arrives in the mail. (Update: The Gingko site has prerelease information and graphics, as they are in the middle of a site re-design.) The scope of the book is supposed to be broader. I asked Sean Cliver if the new book encompassed the first one, and here’s what he had to say: …it’s an all-new book. a complement to the first, really. 1) Includes 60s/70s stuff; 2) Includes a lot more 80s stuff that didn’t fit the first book; 3) Includes new artist/rider stories from like VCJ, Greg Evans, Art/Steve Godoy, Gator, etc.; 4) much more of a “collector” bias in its opening words. on that note, it’s also far less wordier than the first book with more pages devoted to board images (a total of like 2500 i think?). Can’t wait to see it. He’s been working on this for a few years now, and with…

From the marketing book, Chasing Cool. Tony Hawk has at least one quote: “I can’t imagine having to hire a so-called Cool Hunter. If I had to go to someone else to be cool, I’d just pack up my bags and find a new profession.”

The diffusion of skateboarding into the popular culture as a fashion trend always tweaked me but blue jeans and t-shirts were popularized by poseurs trying to look proletarian. Any thoughtless aping of an idea is to be despised. That said, I will admit to fascination with all aspects of the history of skateboarding. This looks like a well designed book about skate shoes. Great photographs of the shoes are juxtaposed with magazine layouts and ads. Based on the collection of the Museum of Skateboard History in Stuttgart, Germany which we posted about before. I found the book here but you can also find it at Amazon

I finally finished the fourth volume of Hopeless Old Men On Skateboards. This one features comics 301-400 (which originally appeared between November 19, 2007 – April 25, 2008). It’s available as a full-color ($29.45 plus shipping) or the econo black and white book with a color cover ($9.97 plus shipping). It is also available as a downloadable PDF ($3.75). It was great to see some of these again. You can buy a copy through the Antigravity Press store at Lulu.com. The prices at Lulu went up a little. I didn’t raise my measly profit though.

Just finished collecting the second hundred strips which you can order here

Some amusing covers from skateboard-themed books at Amazon. I notice one of them in the upsell section below the thing I was looking at and followed the breadcrumbs to a veritable cornucopia of young adult print-based communications.

Skate Daily noticed that although Rick McCrank is active in Peta print ads and product giveaways, he’s still got a suede shoe model, unlike another Peta collaborator, Ed Templeton. Also in this month’s Print Magazine is a half a page on design variations in Nick Hornby’s book Slam, the one that features a protagonist that regularly converses with Tony Hawk in head, the same way Clarence Worley talks to Elvis, I mean “Mentor.”