
Phaidon
Book: Skateboard
Book: Skateboard is a hardcover reference book by industrial designer Jonathan Olivares, published by Phaidon in November 2024. It covers the history and evolution of skateboard design from 1950 to the present in six decade-based chapters, with more than 500 illustrations and text on materials, shapes, and defining events in skate culture. Specifications: English language, 240 pages, ISBN 9781838667498, length 28 cm (11 in), width 21.5 cm (8.5 in).
- Category
- Media > Books > Print Books
Specifications
A comprehensive history of skateboard design from 1950 to present by industrial designer Jonathan Olivares, featuring over 500 illustrations.
Six decade-based chapters exploring materials, shapes, and defining events in skate culture; over 500 illustrations.
- Material
- Binding: Rigid cardboard; Pages: Paper
- Gender
- unisex
- Age Group
- adult
- Condition
- new
- Category
- Media > Books > Print Books
Additional Attributes
- Author: Jonathan Olivares
- 240 pages
- Publisher: Phaidon
- Publication date: November 2024
- ISBN: 9781838667498
- Dimensions: 28 cm x 21.5 cm
- More than 500 illustrations
- Six decade-based chapters
- Traces skateboard design history from 1950 to present
- Hardcover
- English language
Product Insights
Book: Skateboard English-language hardcover, 240 pages. Traces skateboard design history from 1950 to the present in six decade-based chapters, covering materials, shapes, and defining cultural events. Features more than 500 illustrations. A design history rather than an engineering manual; it discusses truck geometry, concave, grip tape, and bearings in narrative text but does not provide spec tables with veneer counts or measured kicktail angles.
Verified claims
- product_type
- Printed book about skateboard design, not an actual skateboard.
- author
- Written by industrial designer Jonathan Olivares.
- publication_date
- Published by Phaidon in November 2024.
- format
- English-language hardcover, 240 pages.
- dimensions
- Measures 28 cm high by 21.5 cm wide, about 2.5 cm thick.
- material
- Rigid cardboard binding with paper pages.
- cover_design
- White cover with a vertically centered red skateboard illustration, bold 'SKATEBOARD' title, and Phaidon/Jonathan Olivares credits.
- interior_layout
- Open spreads use a grid of photographs, posters, and columns of black body text, with a visible red binding at the spine.
- content_scope
- Traces skateboard design history from 1950 to the present in six decade-based chapters, covering materials, shapes, and defining cultural events.
- illustrations
- Features more than 500 illustrations.
- foreword
- Includes a foreword by Paul 'Professor' Schmitt.
- technical_depth
- A design history rather than an engineering manual; it discusses truck geometry, concave, grip tape, and bearings in narrative text but does not provide spec tables with veneer counts or measured kicktail angles.
- visual_reference
- Each featured board is shot to scale so proportions can be compared directly.
- text_balance
- Image-led but not caption-only: the 240 pages carry substantial running text by Olivares alongside the visuals.
- recency
- Runs to the present, including high-tech models of today, with final chapters covering recent decades; published in late 2024.
- sourcing
- Developed in close collaboration with Converse, drawing on its heritage and global skate team and using archival board photography and period material.
- care
- Store in a stable, moderate environment away from moisture and direct sunlight, and handle gently with clean hands.
- durability
- The rigid cardboard hardcover helps protect the paper pages during repeated handling, though the book is not waterproof and should be kept from moisture.
- audience
- Suits skateboard enthusiasts, design-history readers, and coffee-table browsers.
- value
- At 74.95 CAD, the price reflects a 240-page Phaidon hardcover with 500+ illustrations and archival research.
- variant
- Offered as one variant: white, size ONE SIZE.
Product record
- Title
- Book: Skateboard
- Brand
- Phaidon
- Price
- 74.95 CAD
- Availability
- In stock
Buying Guide
0 comparisons · 1 sourceUses
Explore skateboard design history decade by decade
This Phaidon book by industrial designer Jonathan Olivares traces the history and evolution of skateboard design from 1950 to the present day, from the simplest wooden decks to today's models. Its six decade-based chapters cover the materials, shapes, and defining events that have shaped skate culture, with more than 500 illustrations accompanied by text. It's a 240-page English-language hardcover.[1]
Image Analysis
2 images- 01

Product
Front-facing hardcover book with a white cover showing a vertically centered red skateboard illustration, large black title at top, and publisher and author names at bottom corners.
- Cover formatHardcover book shown face-on with visible spine at left edge and right-angle corners.
1 region
x 0.03 · y 0.03 · w 0.94 · h 0.94 (high) - Primary artworkA single photographic illustration of a red skateboard placed vertically and centered on the cover; the board shows surface wear and a central decorative sticker panel.
1 region
x 0.37 · y 0.18 · w 0.26 · h 0.64 (high) - Skateboard trucks and wheelsTwo black trucks and four black wheels attached to the top and bottom of the skateboard graphic, each truck assembly visible as a dark rectangular/metallic element.
2 regions
x 0.43 · y 0.18 · w 0.13 · h 0.09 (high); x 0.43 · y 0.73 · w 0.13 · h 0.09 (high) - Title text“Large uppercase word 'SKATEBOARD' printed across the top of the cover in bold black type.”
1 region
x 0.12 · y 0.03 · w 0.76 · h 0.11 (high) - Publisher name“PHAIDON printed in uppercase serif type at the lower left corner of the cover.”
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.84 · w 0.28 · h 0.10 (high) - Author name“JONATHAN OLIVARES printed in uppercase sans serif at the lower right corner of the cover.”
1 region
x 0.62 · y 0.84 · w 0.32 · h 0.10 (high) - Sticker detail on boardA small multicolor sticker or graphic panel is visible along the skateboard centerline showing blue and yellow elements and surrounding white wear marks.
1 region
x 0.47 · y 0.37 · w 0.06 · h 0.10 (high)
Other
Product shot on a light neutral background with a subtle shadow to the left; image cropped to include the whole book with small margin.
- Background and surfaceEven light gray neutral background with a faint soft shadow cast to the left side of the book.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 1.00 (high) - FramingBook is centered vertically and horizontally within the frame, with visible left-side spine and even margins on all sides.
- LightingSoft, diffused lighting with minimal specular highlights and gentle shadowing under the book edges.
Colors
white· cover backgroundblack· title and small textworn red· skateboard deckcharcoal black· wheels and trucksbright blue· skateboard sticker- Cover formatHardcover book shown face-on with visible spine at left edge and right-angle corners.
- 02

Product
Open book shown flat with a two-page spread visible; white pages contain a grid of small photos, posters, and columns of black body text. Red hardcover spine/edge is visible at the top center and along the right page edge.
- Overall formBook laid flat, two-page spread fully open; pages appear rectangular with inner gutter visible and slight curvature near the spine.
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.12 · w 0.90 · h 0.76 (high) - Page layoutLeft and right pages each contain multiple photographic image panels and blocks of body text arranged in columns; images include small posters, landscape photographs, and candid shots.
1 region
x 0.08 · y 0.16 · w 0.84 · h 0.66 (high) - Poster text top-left“Yellow poster with bold headline text reading 'PUBLIC DOMAIN' in uppercase letters.”
1 region
x 0.09 · y 0.19 · w 0.16 · h 0.14 (high) - Poster text top-right“Small blue poster with uppercase headline text reading 'H-STREET'.”
1 region
x 0.56 · y 0.18 · w 0.12 · h 0.18 (high) - Headline right page“Line of text at the top of the right page reading 'Dear George,'.”
1 region
x 0.73 · y 0.18 · w 0.18 · h 0.06 (high) - Photographic content examplesRight-page lower area shows three photographic images including a skateboarder in motion and a blurred action shot; left page lower area shows a crowd scene and architectural photo.
2 regions
x 0.54 · y 0.34 · w 0.38 · h 0.36 (high); x 0.09 · y 0.34 · w 0.38 · h 0.36 (high) - Printed body textMultiple dense blocks of small black serif or sans-serif body text in column format across both pages.
1 region
x 0.09 · y 0.56 · w 0.82 · h 0.38 (high) - Gutter and binding detailVisible inner gutter with a narrow vertical strip of red cloth or binding at the center top where the pages meet.
1 region
x 0.48 · y 0.12 · w 0.04 · h 0.04 (high) - Page edgesRight edge of the book shows a red hardcover or cloth binding visible along the outer margin of the right page.
1 region
x 0.95 · y 0.12 · w 0.04 · h 0.76 (high)
Other
Studio product photograph showing the book isolated on a light gray background with soft shadow; centered top-down view with even diffuse lighting and minimal reflections.
- Background and stagingLight neutral gray background fills the frame; book is centered with equal margins around it.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 1.00 (high) - Lighting and shadowSoft even lighting with a subtle drop shadow beneath the book toward the bottom, indicating overhead diffuse light.
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.60 · w 0.90 · h 0.35 (high) - Image qualityHigh-resolution, evenly focused image with small amount of perspective flattening; no hands or props visible.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 1.00 (high)
Colors
white· page paper#C5C3CAvivid red· binding/spine clothblack· printed body textwarm yellow· left poster backgroundmedium sky blue· right poster background- Overall formBook laid flat, two-page spread fully open; pages appear rectangular with inner gutter visible and slight curvature near the spine.
Documents & Data
Provenance
- Merchant Link
- https://www.simons.ca/en/decor/stationery/book-skateboard--17402-30026201
- Updated