"Swell"
By Evan Slater / Photos Edited by Peter Taras
Hardcover, 144 pages ($29.95)
Slater, a former editor of “Surfing” magazine, and Taras, the publication’s photo editor, certainly know their waves: unique combinations of wind and water, not two exactly alike, yet each sharing exact characteristics with every other wave everywhere. This awe-inspiring collection of photography represents a global perspective on waves (and the “swells” that produce them offshore) from oceans and inlets around the world—their different personalities and universal similarities, as well as fascinating information on how they’re formed on their treks from sea to shore. Like the Beach Boys sang, “Catch a wave and you’re sittin’ on top of the world.” Looking at these 144 photos, which transport you to wondrous vantage points above, alongside or even underneath some of nature’s most magnificent water works, you’d probably agree.