Quiksilver announced that the much anticipated 320-page, full color book “The Mountain & the Wave, The Quiksilver Story” will be available in Quiksilver Stores and select retailers starting next week. The book, priced at $49.95 and arriving just in time for the holiday season, is the complete, inside-out story, told for the first time, of the company that has defined an industry and a culture…a company that owes its very existence to the two greatest natural playgrounds on Earth…the mountain and the wave.

Back in the late 1960s, a young Australian surfer started fooling around with a design for the perfect, functional surf trunk. The trunks (or boardshorts, as they were called in Australia) he made were not perfect, but they were the best yet, and they quickly captured the attention of many of the world’s best surfers. In 1976, two young American surfers brought the brand to the U.S., at first selling imported pairs from the back of a truck as they traveled from beach to beach from surf shop to surf shop. Within a decade the company was growing so fast its shares were offered to the public. Within another decade, it was the biggest and most successful board sports company in the world.

The story of Quiksilver is the story of an industry born out of a passion for living free and easy, for enjoying nature’s own playgrounds and for creating success on your own terms. It is a story certain to inspire all who ever wanted to follow a dream rather than a routine, and it is a story told here by the people who have lived it, the people who still build their working lives around the surf and the snow.

In addition to collecting the opinions and reminiscences of the Quiksilver pioneers and current managers, surf writer and industry veteran Phil Jarratt has assembled a team of the very best writers, photographers and artists from across the broad spectrum of the boardriding culture to make “The Mountain and The Wave” the most complete depiction of the surf, snow and skate industry ever presented.

"More than two years work and a tremendous number of interviews have gone into this book, and I think the end result is the story of the evolution of a surf company, told in depth like never before” said Jarratt. “I think it's a book that everyone who loves the brand, and in fact everyone involved in the surf industry, will want to read."

In addition to the handsome trade edition of the book, Quiksilver is also launching a Founders Edition of 500 specially bound books, presented in a clamshell case. Each book has been signed by the founders of Quiksilver and brand icon Kelly Slater.

Bob Mcknight, CEO of Quiksilver, Inc., will be hosting an exclusive book launch party on November 2 to officially introduce “The Mountain and the Wave, The Quiksilver Story” and celebrate 30 years of Quiksilver in the U.S. McKnight, who was one of the two young surfers that brought the brand to the U.S. in 1976, will be joined by Quiksilver President Bernard Mariette, top Quiksilver athletes including Tom Carroll, Tony Hawk, Todd Richards and Lisa Andersen as well as other colorful characters from the Quiksilver story for an evening of food and drinks, a musical performance by Ry Cumming and special presentations that highlight the features of the book. Additional launch events will be held in Australia and Europe throughout November and December.

“After more than 30 years at the helm of Quiksilver, Inc. I felt it was time we preserved the story of our brand for future generations, while the founders are still very much involved” said McKnight “It's an exciting story because it's not just about Quiksilver, it's the story of the entire industry that our brand has been a part of for almost four decades.”

About The Editor
Phil Jarratt is an author, editor, publisher and journalist who has followed the fortunes of Quiksilver since its earliest days in Australia. After a long career in surf publishing, he worked as a marketing executive for Quiksilver Europe for five years, before moving to California to work with CEO Bob McKnight and the Quiksilver global management team on the production of this book. Married with three grown children and two grandchildren, he calls Noosa Heads, Australia home.

About Quiksilver (Excerpted From the Book)
My manager called me and said, “You’re going to ride for Quiksilver…” I was speechless…I was with the company every surfer wanted to ride for.
Kelly Slater
Eight-time world champion surfer

Quiksilver was the first surf company to get past $100 million in sales and keep its cool…That had never been seen before.
Steve Pezman
Publisher, The Surfer’s Journal

There are brands and there are cultures, and Quiksilver is a culture. And now the company is on a platform they’ll never look back from.
Dick Baker
President, Surf Industry Manufacturers Association