A simple wood plank with roller skate wheels spawned an entire culture of sport, style, and music. Beginning as "sidewalk surfing" in California in the late '40s and early '50s, skateboarding spread across the country and exploded into a worldwide phenomenon with the vert ramp in the '80s. Over six chapters organized by decade, Skateboard follows the history of the sport from the early days to the modern era. Examples of the boards trace skateboarding's evolution, from the 1963 Skee-Skate to the 1989 Mike Valley pro model, are featured and photographed to scale. Author, designer, and former skater Jonathan Olivares provides the text, with a collaboration from Converse, one of skating's closest allies from the start.