Tom Blake: A Surfer's Philosophy

By David Christopher Lane

Tom Blake changed the face of surfing and has long been lauded as one of the true pioneers and innovators in the sport. Although much has been written about him and his contributions (culminating in Gary Lynch's magisterial biography of him, Tom Blake: The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman, published in 2001), very little work has been done on Tom Blake's Einsteinian philosophy. This is a shame, since though Blake was not formally educated (he never graduated high school due to the devastating influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 and 1919), he was an astute observer of nature and had a deep understanding of science and its implications on such perennial questions concerning ethics, God, and the goal of human life. The essence of Tom Blake's philosophical outlook is best captured in his book, Voice of the Atom, an engaging narrative that centers on his conversations with a young nomadic wanderer named Anthony. Yet, there are also other scattered writings, particularly letters that he wrote to friends over the years, that provide a wider glimpse into Blake's thinking that are invaluable.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1312811714
• ISBN13: 9781312811713
• Release Date: March 2023
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 62 Pages
• Weight: 0.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Tom Blake: A Novella of Meandering Nonsense

...it would have been great had the title Tom Blake:A Surfer's Philosophy been actually about Tom Blake's philosophy...but....this book is about about the AUTHOR'S philosophy...an incredibly disjointed philosophy that ties together cheesy Gidget beach movies, social critique of Internet technology and beach bum lifestyles, with an added dash of Einsteinian muddy metaphysical weirdness.... a few beautiful Tom Blake quotes and references are sprinkled throughout to keep you awake...but there's more pages devoted to Beach Blanket Bimbo than the pertinent subject matter of Tom Blake....this book should have been titled Albert Einstein meets Annette Funicello.....do yourself a favor and spend your hard earned dough on Gary Lynch's fantastic book on Tom Blake, where you'll find a treasure trove of Blake wisdom...