The Best Surf Coffee Table Books for Display and Reading
There’s something undeniably captivating about a beautiful coffee table book, the kind that transforms your living room, stacks perfectly on coffee tables, and doubles as both décor and a love letter to a passion. For surf enthusiasts, a great surf book is more than just eye candy: it’s a window into the history of surfing, the surfing life, and the ocean as a way of life.
The best surfing books blend breathtaking photography, thoughtful essays, and cultural storytelling. Some read like a travel guide to the California coast, South America, South Africa, New Zealand, or the French Basque Country. Others feel like journal entries from a wanderlust-fueled surf trip, a road trip in a camper van, or a deep dive into the essence of surfing itself.
From surf photography books by legendary shooters like Todd Glaser and Stephan Vanfleteren, to cultural deep dives like William Finnegan’s Barbarian Days (by the Pulitzer Prize winner) and Matt Warshaw’s Encyclopedia of Surfing, these books capture both the real life grind and the magic of Kelly Slater, big-wave surfers, slab surfing, and the competitive career side of the sport.
In this guide, you’ll find surf coffee table books that range from design-forward lifestyle volumes to historical archives, from contemporary surf artists like Jonas Claesson, Jean Jullien, Quentin Monge, and Eric Abel, to documentary-style works with razor-sharp reports and incredible unseen surf photography. Some are hefty collector pieces—like the 256-page Breitling Book of Surfing or premium TASCHEN and LUXE/LUX Books editions—while others are the next best thing to standing barefoot on the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore or the Atlantic coast of New Jersey watching sets roll in.
Whether you’re styling a surfboard coffee table, looking for an even better doorstop of a book (the heavy, gorgeous kind), or shopping for a gift for a good friend, these titles showcase surfing as sport, art, culture, and inner world—all at once.
How to Style and Choose Surf Coffee Table Books
When styling surf coffee table books, think in layers: art, story, and texture. Stack two or three—maybe a hardcover book on surf architecture by an architecture journalist, a photography volume with action shots, and a cultural classic like Barbarian Days or The Encyclopedia of Surfing. Add a small object—driftwood, a shell, or a wax tin—to anchor the stack.
Color matters too. Ocean blues, sun-faded neutrals, and sandy tones evoke the coast, while bold covers add contrast. Rotate your books seasonally or when entertaining—it keeps your space fresh and gives guests something new to flip through, whether it’s a photographic portrait of Kelly Slater, a feature on legendary surfers, or stories from the last century of wave riding.
Why Surf Books Make the Perfect Coffee Table Statement
A great surf book isn’t just decoration, it’s a beautiful ode to the ocean, a front-line take on surf culture, and often a creative pot of surf journalism gold. The best ones balance surf science, culture, and art with much close access to surfers, shapers, photographers, and storytellers.
Some focus on places: Long Beach, New York, South America, South Africa, New Zealand, or Tasmania (yes, even the Tasmanian surfer scene). Others explore people: from world champion icons to female surfers, environmental voices like Yvon Chouinard (the environmental activist), musicians like Eddie Vedder, writers like Kem Nunn and Scott Hulet, or photographers who were once a gallery owner before documenting waves full time.
The best titles don’t just document surfing: they reveal its wisdom of waves, its contradictions, its beauty, and its pull on anyone who’s ever felt the ocean awakens something deeper.
How to Style and Choose Coffee Table Books
When styling coffee table books, think of them as both art and storytelling. Choose titles that reflect your personal interests or spark conversation—a mix of surf culture, travel, and design books adds depth and personality to any space. Stack two or three books of varying sizes for visual balance, and consider using a decorative tray or a natural element like driftwood, coral, or a candle to anchor the display.
Color also matters. Pick covers that complement your home’s palette: blues, tans, and whites naturally evoke a coastal feel, while bolder covers can add contrast and energy. Finally, rotate books seasonally or when entertaining—it keeps your space feeling fresh and gives guests something new to discover every time they visit.
Best Surfing Coffee Table Books
Jeff Divine: 70s Surf Photographs
A stunning photographic journey through the 1970s surf scene—shot by one of the era’s key insiders. The book features both color and black-and-white imagery of longboarders, early California and Hawaii surf crews, and the free-spirited culture of the time.
Why it works: It’s nostalgic and authentic—perfect for a surf aficionado or anyone who loves retro beach culture.
Surfing: 1778–Today
A comprehensive visual history of surfing, tracing the sport from Captain Cook’s 1778 encounter with Hawaiian surfers to modern global wave riding. Richly illustrated, it blends photography with cultural and historical context.
Why it works: Ideal for someone who appreciates surf history and wants a substantial, authoritative volume that brings photography, narrative, and culture together.
Surf Tribe
A portrait-driven book showcasing surfers from around the globe, capturing the diverse faces, styles, and stories that make up modern surf culture.
Why it works: Perfect for a more global, inclusive view of surfing—especially if you want a coffee table book that celebrates people as much as waves.
Surf Craft: Design and the Culture of Board Riding
This book shifts the focus to the surfboard itself, exploring design, craftsmanship, heritage, and the cultural meaning behind board riding. It’s as much about form and function as it is about surfing.
Why it works: For design lovers or anyone fascinated by how surf equipment has evolved, this adds a thoughtful twist beyond just wave photography.
The Other Side of Surfing
An offbeat, art-forward take on surf culture, exploring lesser-known destinations, creative interpretations, and non-traditional surf narratives.
Why it works: Great for someone who’s interested in the broader ocean lifestyle and the art, travel, and subcultures that orbit around surfing.
Epic Surf Breaks of the World
Part travel book, part surf dream journal, this volume showcases iconic surf breaks across the globe with dramatic photography and first-person stories.
Why it works: A perfect gift for travelers and daydreamers—it’s pure inspiration for where waves might take you next.
The Stylish Life: Surfing
A surf-lifestyle aesthetic book that blends surfing with fashion, vintage vibes, board graphics, coastlines, and the visual culture of surf living.
Why it works: Ideal for home décor lovers who want the surf look and feel—even if they don’t speak fluent surf lingo.
Surf Shacks: An Eclectic Compilation of Surfers’ Homes from Coast to Coast by Indoek
More than just surf photography, Surf Shacks takes readers inside the creative homes of surfers around the world. Expect design inspiration, lifestyle stories, and gorgeous coastal interiors that radiate laid-back energy.
Why it works: Perfect for anyone who loves surf culture and interior design—part travel journal, part style guide.
Surf Atlas
A beautifully produced visual guide to the world’s surf destinations, combining maps, photography, and storytelling to create a global portrait of wave culture.
Why it works: It’s ideal for armchair travelers and surfers alike—both informative and visually
A well-chosen surfing coffee table book does more than just sit pretty — it becomes a conversation piece, a reflection of taste, and a portal to waves, ocean spray, adventure and culture. Whether you pick a deep archival volume or a lifestyle-driven coffee table book, it can elevate a space and delight the reader or recipient.
If decorating a living room, consider matching the book cover colors to your décor (think sand tones, sea blues, surfboard graphics). As a gift, pair the book with a small surfing-inspired item (a shell, a mini surfboard figurine, a surfboard wax tin) to create a curated gift-set.
In short: surf books don’t just sit on a table. Let these books carry you, your guests, or the recipient on an ocean breeze of images, stories and style. Choose one, open, and let the waves wash in.
