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IST 605: Art, Culture & History of Skateboarding

Skateboarding books that are available in SUNY collections.

There is a considerable amount of books out there that are about the various cultural aspects of skateboarding. Below is a selection of book resources that are available through SUNY libraries. As mentioned on the home page, many of these resources can be found via:

Key search terms that can aid in the discovery of resources are "skateboarding", searching by author or subject field, or the term "pictorial works" in the subject field as many skateboard books prominently feature images. 

Four wheels and a board : the Smithsonian history of skateboarding

Published ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics, this book describes in detail the extensive skateboarding collection that is housed within the skateboarding collection at the National Museum of Natural History. The book features items that were donated to the collection by notable skaters such as Rodney Mullen, Tony Hawk, and Mimi Knoop. This resource would be relevant to anyone interested in the material history of skateboarding. Subject terms that apply to this resource include "skateboarding" and "Smithsonian Institution". 

Skateboarding LA : Inside Professional Street Skateboarding

Greg Snyder's book documents eight years of his research into the professional skateboarding industry in Los Angeles, California. Snyder describes skateboarding in the context of public space and goes into detail about the history of skateboarding as an industry in LA and how skateboarding in a metropolitan city can attract a talented community of young people. Snyder also argues that skateboarders fulfil a stewardship role in public spaces that are often neglected by institutional elements of society.  

Skate life: re-imagining white masculinity

In this resource, Emily Chivers Yochim analyzes how young white men use the media that's produced by skate culture to help formulate their identities. Yochim argues that teenaged males can both critique dominant norms of masculinity while also maintaining the heteronormative power that white masculinity offers. This resource is especially relevant to those interested in skateboarding and gender studies. Key subject terms relevant to this resource are "skateboarding -- social aspects", "masculinity in sports", and "men, white". 

 
 

Skate/worlds: new pedagogies for skateboarding

This resource is a compilation of pieces from writers, educators, and activists who are primarily concerned with skateboarding and education. These educators conduct research into whether or not skateboarding can be used as a prefigurative learning tool. This resource is relevant to skateboarding in an educational context. Some keywords that apply to this research include "social sciences", "society and culture", and "education".


  

  • Holsgens, S., & Ong, A. (2025). Skate/worlds : new pedagogies for skateboarding. University of Groningen Press. doi:10.21827/656f071868dee

Read and Destroy: Skateboarding through a British lens '78 to '95

This resource is only available through interlibrary loan from FIT. Read and Destroy is about skateboarding from a English/European perspective. This resource documents the history of RAD magazine, a seminal British magazine that popularized skateboarding in the UK in the late 80's and early 90's. This resource also details the contemporary photographic process that was required in order o document skateboarding from that era. This resource is a fantastic large format photobook. Subject headings that apply to this item include "underground periodicals", "Great Britain", and "pictorial works".


 

Skateboarding, Space and the City : Architecture and the Body

This book is a detailed study of skateboarding as an urban phenomenon. Iain Borden argues that skateboarding as a subculture can provide a rich resource for examining issues of race, gender, class, and sexuality. More centrally, Borden demonstrates in this resource that street skateboarding serves to critique modern concepts of architecture, the city, and capitalism. Subject terms that apply to this resource includes "social aspects", "history" and "cities and towns".

   
 

Skateboarding, Power and Change

In this resource, Indigo Willing and Anthony Pappalardo examine how cultural and social change in skateboarding happens through a unique "ethical turn". This book complies the insights of various BIPOC, Indigenous, and otherwise historically marginalized voices in skateboarding. The book also documents the experiences of key change makers and industry insiders as well as their reflections on skateboarding as a culture. Key terms include "discrimination in sports", "social justice", and "urban studies". 


 

  • Willing, I. A. W., & Pappalardo, A. (2023). Skateboarding, power and change (1st ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-1234-6

Skateboarding and the Senses : Skills, Surfaces, and Spaces.

This book argues that skaters are uniquely skilled in bringing vitality to contested spaces. Based off of sensory anthropology, Glenney and Holsgrens argue that there are connections between the diverse ways in which skaters move and their boundless drive for social action. From a sensory perspective, this resource details how skaters navigate an urban environment. Key terms that apply to this resource includes "urban culture", "enskillment", and "sensory learning". 

 
 

  • Hölsgens, S., & Glenney, B. (2024). Skateboarding and the Senses : Skills, Surfaces, and Spaces. (1st ed.). Taylor & Francis Group. doi:10.4324/9781003510642

The most fun thing : dispatches from a skateboard life

This book is a collection of essays that serves as a memoir for Kyle Beachy, a creative writing professor and lifelong skateboarder. The book details Beachy's desire to uncover and understand skateboarding's deeper spiritual meaning. Beachy also grapples with what does it mean to age in skateboarding and how does one stay authentic while also being cemented to a passion that formed in childhood. This book serves as the quintessential biography of somebody who have spent the entirety of their adult life as a skateboarder. Keyterms for this resources are "skateboarding", "history", and "biography".