Sam Bleakley

I have contributed to numerous books on surfing and travel, and edited the only detailed history book on a European surf nation - The Surfing Tribe: A History of Surfing in Britain. My first book, Surfing Brilliant Corners, detailed a decade of extreme global surf travel, illustrated by the exquisite photographs of John Callahan. My most recent book, Surfing Tropical Beats is published by Alison Hodge Publishers on 12th April 2012.

In Surfing Brilliant Corners I journey from the living vodou of Haiti, through vibrant African highlife, to a serene Buddhist oasis in communist China. Amongst other adventures, I look deep into the jet black eye of a surfacing shark in Kenya and face a stacked set of foaming lips during storm surf in South Korea with bemused lifeguards waving me and my companions in from the beach to point out that surfing is banned.

Framing surfing through metaphors of jazz, the book celebrates genius bop pianist Thelonious Monk's 1950's album Brilliant Corners. Monk's album was famed for its outrageous, groundbreaking compositional originality, and I explore how talented surfers think like great jazz musicians, using invention, complex rhythm, timing and spontaneity to turn impossible wave scenarios into beautiful but challenging music.

AUTHOR

Surfing Brilliant Corners
By Sam Bleakley
photos by John Callahan
2010 Alison Hodge
ISBN 978-0-9067208-0-6

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Surfing Yearbook: Presented by Surfersvillage
Edited by Phil Jarratt, 2009 Gibbs Smith
ISBN 978-1-4236-0558-4
UK and Ireland Report by Sam Bleakley

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Soul i-D
Edited by Tricia Jones
2007 Taschen
ISBN 978-3-8365-0666-3
Safe and Sound contribution by Sam Bleakley

FEATURED

Surf Nation: In Search of the Fast Lefts and Hollow
Rights of Britain and Ireland
By Alex Wade
2007 Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-0-7432-8598-8
Featured in The Legions of the Unjazzed chapter

FEATURED

The World Stormrider Guide: Vol 3
By Antony Colas
2009
Low Pressure Publishing
ISBN 978-0953984060
Featured in the Central Atolls, Maldives section

FEATURED

Switch-Foot II
By Andrew Crockett
2009 Hodaddy Australia
ISBN 978-0-646-51817-6
Featured in the Russ Pierre/Cornwall Section

EDITOR

The Surfing Tribe: A History of Surfing in Britain
By Roger Mansfield
Edited by Sam Bleakley and Chris Power
2009 Orca Publications
ISBN 978-0-9523646-5-8

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Global Surfari: The Surfer's Travel Atlas
2007 Aurum
ISBN 978-1-84513-298-9
Western Europe and Africa chapters by Sam Bleakley

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

September
Edited by Michael Fordham
2007September Project
ISBN 978-0-9557392-0-0
Fish & Bird poem by Sam Bleakley featured

FEATURED

The World Stormrider Guide: Vol 2
By Antony Colas
2004 Low Pressure Publishing
ISBN 978-0953984022
Featured in the Northern Ecuador section

FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR

Surf Food: The Ultimate Surfers Cookbook
By Nava Young
2009Pandanus Productions Angourie
ISBN 978-0-646-52251-7
Featured with a recipe contribution - Fruit Salad
with Honey Spiced Yogurt

FEATURED

Ultimate Surfing Adventures: 100 Extraordinary Experiences in the Waves
By Alf Alderson
2010 Wiley Nautical
ISBN: 978-0-470-71083-8
Featured in China, Oman, Ghana, Liberia, Panama, Algeria, Mauritania and South Korea Chapters