Library patrons might be interested to know that Jack London, as well as Agatha Christie and her husband, frequented Waikiki Beach:

"The focal point of that surfline and the wave riding connected to it was the Outrigger Canoe Club. There, Agatha Christie and her husband extended their stay in Hawaii so he could surf longer, and Jack London and the Prince of Wales who abdicated his throne, and the King of Persia, as well as Rudolf Friml, Doris Duke, Otis Chandler and Jim Arness — all suited up in the locker rooms to 'go surfin' at Waikiki." (http://files.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/ls12.shtml)

For a picture of Agatha Christie ready to hit the surf, check out Michael Scott Moore's blog.

Other unconventional nonfiction titles that are not your run-of-the-mill tomes:

How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser.

Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History by Ben Mezrich. Mezrich penned the titles that went on to become the films 21 and The Social Network.

Soul Surfer, the true story of Bethany Hamilton.

For a film that has very little to do with actual surfing, but is still fun to watch, check out Point Break.

Surfing is one lens in which to view how other countries adopt and modify American signifiers. Surfing is an unusual signifier in that corporate presence is not what primarily encouraged its global popularity, as with fast food restaurants or "fake" AppleStores. One possible exception is the ubiquitous Mr. Zog's Sex Wax, which even served as a pineapple-scented clue in the movie Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.