WL Rating
A friend of mine recently recommended this book to me and I’m glad he did. Written in 1964 by Willard Bascom, Waves and Beaches is the definitive treatise on the subject of, surprise, waves and beaches. Bascom is a clear master of the subject who moves from dry wit to heavy mathematics with apparent ease. The book delves deeply into the hydrodynamics behind all forms of waves, as well as the methods by which they interact with beaches. The old photos cover a wide range of topics including eerie before-and-after shots of the Hilo harbor, which include an arrow pointing at the man about to lose his life. At times I found myself skimming some of the more scientific bits in the book, but more often than not I was enjoying the process of being properly educated on the waves that I surf. This is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding how waves and beaches are born. As such, it’s definitely a WL Essential. (November 2008)
