BIBLIO is the largest independent book marketplace in the world, with over 100 million books.

Skip to content

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku Hardback - 2015

by David Davis

Add to wish list

Reader reviews for Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

From the publisher

Waterman is the first comprehensive biography of Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968): swimmer, surfer, Olympic gold medalist, Hawaiian icon, waterman.

Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz made their splashes in the pool, Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America's first superstar Olympic swimmer. The original "human fish" set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade; his rivalry with Johnny Weissmuller transformed competitive swimming from an insignificant sideshow into a headliner event.

Kahanamoku used his Olympic renown to introduce the sport of "surf-riding," an activity unknown beyond the Hawaiian Islands, to the world. Standing proudly on his traditional wooden longboard, he spread surfing from Australia to the Hollywood crowd in California to New Jersey. No American athlete has influenced two sports as profoundly as Kahanamoku did, and yet he remains an enigmatic and underappreciated figure: a dark-skinned Pacific Islander who encountered and overcame racism and ignorance long before the likes of Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, and Jackie Robinson.

Kahanamoku's connection to his homeland was equally important. He was born when Hawaii was an independent kingdom; he served as the sheriff of Honolulu during Pearl Harbor and World War II and as a globetrotting "Ambassador of Aloha" afterward; he died not long after Hawaii attained statehood. As one sportswriter put it, Duke was "Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey combined down here."

In Waterman, award-winning journalist David Davis examines the remarkable life of Duke Kahanamoku, in and out of the water.

Details

  • Title Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
  • Author David Davis
  • Binding Hardback
  • Pages 354
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher University of Nebraska Press
  • Publication date 2015-10-01
  • Features Bibliography, Dust Cover, Index
  • ISBN 9780803254770 / 0803254776
  • Weight 1.45 lbs (0.66 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 in (23.11 x 16.00 x 3.30 cm)
  • Category Biography / Autobiography
  • Library of Congress subjects Kahanamoku, Duke, Swimmers - Hawaii
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 2015006562
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

About the author

David Davis is the author of Showdown at Shepherd's Bush: The 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners Who Launched a Sporting Craze; Play by Play: Los Angeles Sports Photography, 1889-1989; and Marathon Crasher: The Life and Times of Merry Lepper, the First American Woman to Run a Marathon. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and in three anthologies, including The Best American Sports Writing. He lives in Los Angeles.

More Copies for Sale

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • Used
  • Hardback
  • first
Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$30.11
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of Nebraska Press, 2015-10-01. First Edition. hardcover. Used: Good. 2.00x11.00x9.00. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$30.11
Free Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • Used
  • Hardback
  • first
Condition
Used
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$30.23
A$8.64 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Lincoln. 2015. University of Nebraska Press. 1st American Edition. Some Bumping to Bottom Corner Edge, Otherwise Very Good in Dustjacket. 9780803254770. 315 pages. hardcover. keywords: Sports Surfing Biography. DESCRIPTION - Waterman is the first comprehensive biography of Duke Kahanamoku (1890�1968): swimmer, surfer, Olympic gold medalist, Hawaiian icon, waterman. Long before Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz made their splashes in the pool, Kahanamoku emerged from the backwaters of Waikiki to become America's first superstar Olympic swimmer. The original human fish set dozens of world records and topped the world rankings for more than a decade; his rivalry with Johnny Weissmuller transformed competitive swimming from an insignificant sideshow into a headliner event. Kahanamoku used his Olympic renown to introduce the sport of surf-riding, an activity unknown beyond the Hawaiian Islands, to the world. Standing proudly on his traditional wooden longboard, he spread surfing from Australia to the… Read more
Add to wish list
Item price
A$30.23
A$8.64 Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$30.65
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of Nebraska Press. hardcover. Good. 0x0x0. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$30.65
Free Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • New
  • Hardback
  • first
Condition
New
Edition
First Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
6
Seller
Item price
A$34.65
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of Nebraska Press, 2015-10-01. First Edition. hardcover. New. 2.00x11.00x9.00. Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$34.65
Free Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
105
Seller
Item price
A$36.35
A$5.74 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
University of Nebraska Press. New. BRAND NEW, GIFT QUALITY! NOT OVERSTOCKS OR MARKED UP REMAINDERS! DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER!
Add to wish list
Item price
A$36.35
A$5.74 Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by David Davis

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
10
Seller
Item price
A$56.22
A$19.20 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Hardback. New.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$56.22
A$19.20 Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • New
  • Hardback
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
2
Seller
Item price
A$66.31
A$48.23 Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Univ of Nebraska Pr, 2015. Hardcover. New. 315 pages. 9.25x6.25x1.25 inches.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$66.31
A$48.23 Delivery to USA
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku
Stock photo: cover may vary

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku

by Davis, David

  • Used
  • Good
  • Hardback
Condition
Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780803254770 / 0803254776
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$57.45
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
hardcover. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$57.45
Free Delivery to USA