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More than seven years in the making, A Secret History of the Ollie tells in part, how a small, unheralded group of skaters revolutionized skating around the world. Although the no-handed aerial skateboard maneuver known today as the Ollie is nearly 40 years old, its influence on skateboarding remains, and has never been surpassed.

The 1970s were not just the Dogtown era, but skateboarding's Golden Era. The Z-Boys were an important part of the emerging American skate scene during the 1970s, but they weren't the only scene. In the state of California alone, besides Santa Monica and Venice, there were many other hot spots. Some of those included San Diego, Salt Creek, Vista, Upland, Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco—all equally influential and significant for the skaters and innovations they delivered.

But far, far away from California, on the Gold Coast of Southern Florida, thousands of miles from the control of the skateboard industry and media, there was another tale unfolding. More obscure and under the radar, the Florida scene would have a dramatic and immeasurable impact on skateboarding, allowing it to literally take flight. It all started with the invention of the Ollie, a magical no-hands aerial and the signature move that would forever change skating.

Created in 1978, the Ollie, without a doubt, is the maneuver that changed skateboarding for all time. In A Secret History of the Ollie , author, photographer, and skater Craig B. Snyder follows this revolutionary no-handed skate trick from its humble beginnings in his hometown of Hollywood, Florida, to the present day in this new historical multi-volume work with an origin story as dramatic and magical as the move itself.

Illustrated in color throughout, A Secret History of the Ollie is not just the story of the Ollie, but a history of skateboarding like no other. Over 1200 images and photographs, many of which have never been published before, accompany 912 pages of some of the more crucial moments in skating history.

On the cover: Arthur “Toots” Anchinges summons the spirits of Rabbit, Ah Choy, and Bird's Nest at Queen's Surf, Waikiki. Features inside the book commune with punk rockers and mutated golems, ex-pats in the Atacama Desert and beastly surf in the Eastern Atlantic. Underwater imagery from Everton Luis and the modernist subjects of John Respondek bookend the experience.

On the cover: Having broken his favored shooter, Santa Cruz surfer Wilem Banks runs the diagnostics on an even lower-tide Scottish session on a borrowed board. Inside the book, further odysseys follow a team of daredevils to the glacial outfalls of Alaska, a crew of Indonesian boat-in pioneers through the revelation of Desert Point, and director Bruce Brown’s still-camera inside the most impactful surf movie ever assembled. Technical analysis of the asymmetrical surfboard, and a deep batch of imagery from the frontlines of the professional surf arena, add motion and ballast.

On the cover: Pulse advent. “Ocean swells travel separate paths for thousands of miles,” says photographer Trent Mitchell. “I’m interested in the displays of chaos and synergy at this point of union.” Features inside the flap rove from an urban surf-scape in the Middle East to an examination of artificial waves—and their existential impacts. A Hawaiian bodysurf Mecca, an archipelago in the South Pacific, two visual/spatial artists, and a horde of full-bleed surf imagery offer waypoints of interest.

Here are bungalows, trailers, cabins, and beach homes where surfers retreat after a day on the waves.

Peek inside the homes of longtime enthusiasts and dedicated newcomers that reflect not just a sport or passion, but also a way of life. Blake and Heather Mycoskie of TOMS, hotelier Sean MacPherson, Gypset author Julia Chaplin, and others have set up their spaces to embrace a casual ease and be the break between the waves.

With vibrant photographs of design details and bright beaches—from Malibu to the Rockaways, from Japan to Australia—this book captures the soulful milieu of a lifestyle we all aspire to.

By: Nina Freudenberger

Nothing reveals the splendor of travel as succinctly as the first encounter with an exotic, jaw-dropping vista. Taking off from that sublime experience of the unknown, Condé Nast Traveler created its signature feature, the monthly magazine’s “Where Are You?” contest. Divining locales from the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan to the Seychelles’ coral islands, thousands of readers of America’s leading travel magazine have been enthusiastically playing the game since 1993—deciphering clues each month to reveal a secret international location, shot by a world-class photographer. For the first time ever, Condé Nast Traveler has collected 100 of these stunning, mysterious photographs and clues in one volume so that you, too, can test your travel knowledge to find out: Where Are You?