Catalog for "Pics by Derf the 1980's"

Photos by Derf Smurthwaite, Text by Mark Waters, Edited by Chris Johanson
Publisher: Circle-A Skate Shop
Description:32 pages, 8½ x 5½ inches, black & white, side staple binding

This zine is a catalog for an art exhibition of Derf Smuthwaite's photography. The one page of text explains that Derf took the photos for fun and with no great documentary ambitions. The book is nicely printed and since I suspect that not all the images were perfectly exposed in the first place, the occasional image quality problem is forgivable. The photos are artfully done and the images well curated. Some of them are double page spreads. I paid only $4 for my copy and it is well worth it for the peek into 1980s San Jose skate culture.

Today is a Blog Post Waiting to be Written

By Robart Blair
Publisher: txtbooks.us
Description:12 pages, 7¼ x 5 inches, Red ink on off-white paper, side staple binding

This short zine has one saying per page set in large red type. Its subtitle is Mantras for Our Generation, though it doesn't name a specific generation. The mantras are more funny than thought provoking but they are well done and they make this a really fun read. Once you're done with it, you could always pass this zine off to a friend who needs a quick laugh.