Sneaker Freaker. World's Greatest Sneaker Collectors - by Simon Wood (Hardcover)

About the Book

The endless quest for a "Holy Grail" is both blessing and curse as sneaker collectors fiend, scheme, and dream of "the one" shoe they don't yet own! From vintage classics to game-worn Jordans, Sneaker Freaker's new anthology dives into the stock of prominent devotees and is augmented with pro tips on photography, storage, and avoiding counterfeits.

Book Synopsis

Simon "Woody" Wood, founder and editor-in-chief of Sneaker Freaker magazine, has spent the last two decades analyzing the global cult of footwear fanatics. That experience directly inspired World's Greatest Sneaker Collectors, a stonking 752-page journey into the priceless stockpiles and obsessive minds of prominent aficionados.

From Tokyo to New York, via London, Philadelphia, Melbourne, and Stjørdal, no crumbled midsole is left unturned as over 2,500 vintage classics, unique athlete SMUs, unobtainable samples, handmade 1-of-1 prototypes, stratospherically priced colabs, and Player Exclusives and game-worn Jordans with multi-million-dollar price tags are lauded with gusto. The endless quest for "Holy Grails" is both blessing and curse as our collectors fiend, scheme, and dream of "the one" shoe they don't yet own!

Glossy portraits are augmented with a series of informative "How-to" guides stuffed with pro tips on sneaker photography, storage, insurance, cleaning, and avoiding the counterfeit curse. The expertise is priceless. The stories will entertain for days as we seek out the fundamentals of what it means, and takes, to define yourself as a "true collector."

Review Quotes

"World's Greatest Sneaker Collectors provides much more than hypnotic imagery of some of the world's most passionate footwear aficionados today, it also provides a blueprint for future generations of collectors."-- "Essence"

"A feast for your eyes. Or, perhaps more accurately, your feet? Vintage footwear, skate shoes, basketball high-tops, and more are on gorgeous display in the seven-pound, 752-page anthology of sneakers. It even has a glossary for the uninitiated, with all the terms you'll need to become a sneakerhead."-- "Smithsonian"

"Dive into the world of the sneaker enthusiast in Simon Woods' excellent book."-- "The Observer"

"Feed their sneaker obsession. World's Greatest Sneaker Collectors, is a treasure trove of glossy pictures from prominent sneaker collectors, as well as an extensive guide to sneaker care and maintenance."-- "VICE"

"I always viewed collecting sneakers as not only a hobby but a sport, and this is a competition to me still."-- "Chris Rosario, North Carolina"

"I am into shoes for one and only reason - the love of it! Nothing more. I can spend hours just staring at a shoe. Some people collect stamps and rocks. I collect sneakers."-- "Super Lalla, Paris"

"I have every Jordan from 1999. I bought 34 pairs of each. Brand new! Sometimes I'm about to buy something, and then I realize I already have them in storage somewhere."-- "AllDay, Brooklyn"

"I have so many sneakers my apartment is a real-life Tetris game. When I go to bed, I'm not praying for better health - I'm praying that I won't be buried underneath a collapsing shoe rack!!"-- "Julia Schoierer, Berlin"

"Paying $500 for sneakers was unheard of in the early 2000s. I paid a couple of thousand dollars for a Wu-Tang Dunk, which was just crazy. These days, that's nothing. There are 17-year-old kids buying shoes for $5k out there."-- "Andre Ljustina, Los Angeles"

"A must-have manual offering readers a glimpse into the passionate world of sneaker enthusiasts."-- "GQ"

"This game is not easy. Collecting 60 pairs of game-worn Jordans has taken 10 years and I worked hard to dig them out. It's all about the hunt. Hard work and hustling, you can't beat it!"-- "Elliot Tebele"

"The most definitive sneaker culture magazine on the planet!"-- "MTV"