MP Untold: The Lost Stories of an Australian Surfing Legend

In 2004 Sean Doherty wrote a bestselling biography of Australian surfing’s cult hero, Michael Peterson. Over the years that followed, and especially after MP’s death in 2012, hundreds of people – family, friends, surfing stars and complete strangers – contacted Doherty with stories and pictures of the iconic surfer that had never before been shared.

The tales range from the hilarious to the harrowing. There was MP’s infamous road trip from the Gold Coast to Phillip Island. The time he discovered the truth about his father. And his last ever surf, with brother Tommy in 1983, before schizophrenia and drug abuse saw him institutionalised for the next decade.

Now Doherty has compiled these stories, anecdotes and tributes, completing the picture of one of surfing’s most talented but tragic figures. Also featuring the classic images of Peterson, along with photographs and letters from his family’s private collection, MP Untold presents Australian surfing’s cult hero in the words of those who knew him best.