JAMES, Don. Pre-war Surfing Photographs.

(Santa Barbara, CA): T. Adler Books, 2004. First Edition. Don James – Portfolios 1,2,3,4 & 5, a complete set. Five boxes with pastedowns each housing four individual black and white prints hinged on archival mat board. Published as a labour of love by noted graphic designer Tom Adler, this is a complete set of the five beautifully produced portfolios of pioneering waterman/photographer Don James’ nostalgic views of the apparent paradise that was Southern California surf culture in the thirties. It reproduces a series of shots of Bluff Cove surf-riders taken by James over the summer of 1937 from a Brownie camera set up in the sand to the rather narrow focal point of the breaking waves. Limited to five hundred copies only, each of the five deluxe editions contains four different 6.8 x 4.6″ archival prints reproduced from the original negatives found in Don James’ studio shortly after his death in 1996. The images are printed as continuous tone, with soy-based UV inks on 100% cotton rag, acid-free paper. Each print is mounted on an acid-free four-ply board with a numbered certificate of authenticity, and enclosed in a glassine sleeve.