'I wake up and I have to make the right choice,' he said.Master-stylist Ben Marcus returns with a wonder-cabinet of brain-rearranging stories. From the horrifyingly strange to the deeply touching, each story is a literary masterclass unlikely to leave the reader unchanged.From parent/child relationships thrown agonisingly off kilter, to intensely moving scenarios of dependence and emotional crisis; from left-alone bodies to new scientific frontiers,...

The story of the simple skateboard is part thriller, part underground, underdog success tale. It’s chock-full of innovations, far-out graphic artistry, and ever-more-incredible hot-dogging feats. And the story’s told in this book with contributions from the stars themselves—Tony Hawk, Stacey Peralta, Jeff Ho, the Dogtown Z-Boys, and more. Beautifully illustrated with historical posters, ads, and memorabilia along with new action photography, studio skateboard shots, and unique portraits of...

Ben Marcus has received numerous awards for his groundbreaking fiction, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and three Pushcart Prizes. In The Flame Alphabet, Marcus creates a chilling world where the speech of children is killing their parents. After being forced to leave their daughter Esther to fend for herself, Sam and Claire end up at a government lab intent on creating non-lethal speech. But when Sam discovers the truth about what's going on there, he realizes reuni...

The short story is a barometer for the state and shape of literature. New American Stories presents the boldest, most innovative and most resonant fiction coming out of the American literary scene.Ben Marcus, author of The Flame Alphabet and Leaving the Sea, has here curated an anthology that gives the lay of the literary land. From established masters of the form like Don DeLillo and Lydia Davis to neoteric trailblazers such as Rebecca Curtis and Rachel ...

Whether you’re a beginner trying to get started or an experienced surfer looking to take it to the next level, The Surfing Handbook gives you the tips you need to maximize your performance on the water, with guidance on training and conditioning, technique and style, safety and etiquette, and gear. Written by veteran pro surfing journalist Ben Marcus, this guide is illustrated with instructional photos and drawings, providing step-by-step instructions, background history—as well a...

Stand up paddling (SUP) is experiencing fast growth in the United States and around the world. It can be enjoyed on inland lakes and rivers, as well as on the ocean and in the surf—but most important, it’s fun and a great way to stay fit.The Art of Stand Up Paddling will include everything both new and not-so-new paddlers need to know—from buying a board and getting started on your local lake to paddling rivers and surfing ocean waves. This revised edition features a brand new chap...

The history of the surfboard is one of innovation---innovation that has in turn shaped the sport of surfing. The Art of the Surfboard follows this history, from the first "wave-riding" redwood planks crafted by ancient Hawaiians to the vacuum-sealed, lightweight, "plastic fantastic" technological marvels of today.Beautifully illustrated with historical prints and engravings, as well as the latest surf photography and detailed closeups, this book documents the surfboards evolution a...

Mavericks and more, a celebration of feminine beauty, athleticism, wisdom, and skill when the surf is bombing—Women Who Surf profiles some of the world’s most inspiring female surfers ranging from Bethany Hamilton to Wrenna Delgado. Each surfer tells her story, highlighting her personal challenges, accomplishments, and philosophy, as well as inspiring readers and providing them with practical how-to suggestions on maximizing not only their own potential in surfing but in life as they lead ...

This book tells the story of how fossil fuel use is altering the climate of our planet and adversely affecting the Earth's ecosystems and our ability to produce food, both of which are necessary to sustain civilization. The book addresses common questions regarding the science of climate change and why we should trust the warnings of climate scientists, rather than those who try to cast doubt on the science of climate change. To reinforce this, the first part of the book describes ...

With over three hundred new and previously published short stories as well as three novellas, The Collected Stories of Diane Williams brings together distilled works of “unsettling brilliance” (Vanity Fair) that have rewritten the rules of American short fiction.From Ben Marcus’ introduction to The Collected Stories of Diane Williams:“Diane Williams has spent her long, prolific career concocting fictions of perfect strangeness, mo...

Stark and vibrant, the two halves of this sutured book expose the Frankenstein-like scars of the assemblage we call “human”In “Another Governess” a woman in a decaying manor tries to piece together her own story. In “The Least Blacksmith” a man cannot help but fail his older brother as they struggle to run their father’s forge.Each of the stories stands alone, sharing neither characters nor settings. But together, they ask the same question: What are the wa...

Surfing California is your one-of-a-kind guide to more than 200 of the best breaks in the Golden State - from classic surf spots to lesser-known waves. This revised and updated, full-color guide now includes SUP-friendly spots, too--allowing surfers and paddlers alike to find the best breaks and all get along! Explore the surf from the Oregon border to the Mexican border, from North Jetty in Arcata to Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz to Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach.