Nike Air Book
Author/Editor: Text by Masahiro Minai, Editing by Takuya Nakoshi
Publisher: Sony Magazines
Publication Date: 11/30/2006
ISBN: 4789728064, 9784789728065
Language: Japanese, small amount of English
Printed in Japan, 130 Pages
Accompaniments/Extras: Air Max 95 Multi Chamber Air Bag, book sleeve
A beautifully executed compendium that exhaustively documents the history of Nike Air. The packaging is every bit as thorough and thought through as the contents within; an orange sleeve holds the black book atop an orange cardboard frame, within which sits an actual (or a replica of an actual) Air Max 95 multi chamber air bag. From the Tailwind in 1979, all the way through the then-brand-new Air Max 360, the Nike Air Book meticulously displays and describes each Nike model that contained Air technology. Perhaps most incredible, is that each model also features an image of the capsule within which the Air was contained, providing a seldom-seen glimpse at the technical progression that Nike has forged in its most consequential and successful technology.
The book is divided into 4 sections: Air Max History, Air Bag Catalogue, The Masterpieces With Air (further broken into sport-specific categories, namely: Running, Basketball, Tennis, Cross Training & Fitness, Baseball, Soccer, ACG, Others and Air Innovations History) and Timeline. Of particular note are the Air Innovations History and Timeline. The first provides a comprehensive table showing exactly which models had which type of Air and when, categorized by sport. The second (a timeline from 1957-2006 and beyond) is an example of something found in many pieces of Japanese sneakerature that we absolutely love as it helps to contextualize the rest of the book.
Sneakerature’s Take: This is one of those books that, for the non-Japanese speaker/reader, makes you want to sit down and learn how to read Japanese. The layout and images alone display a subject matter that is rarely explored at such depths (outside of Nike’s walls, that is), inspiring a monumental level of sneaker-nerdery in those fortunate enough to peruse its pages.
The Nike Air Book can occasionally be found on Amazon