'A masterpiece that recalls early James Salter' Geoff Dyer, Observer

Surfing only looks like a sport. To devotees, it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a mental and physical study, a passionate way of life.

William Finnegan first started surfing as a young boy in California and Hawaii. Barbarian Days is his immersive memoir of a life spent travelling the world chasing waves through the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa and beyond. Recalling his own apprenticeship to the world's most famous and challenging waves, he considers the intense relationship formed between man, board and water.

'Breathtaking' New York Times

'Luscious' Ed Caesar, Guardian

William Finnegan