The Mammoth Book of Bikers [Paperback]

Arthur Veno (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Mammoth Book of | Publication Date: October 5, 2007

Drawing on 17 years of studying and participating in biker culture, Arthur Veno has compiled the ultimate collection of original biker writing. Here are insider accounts of landmark incidents in bike folklore, plus reprints of classic writing from biker - originated magazines, handouts, websites, and books. Gangs featured include the Bandidos, Hells Angels, Henchmen MC, the Outlaws, the Mongols, Annihilators, the Diablos, Gypsy Jokers, the Rebels, the Straight Satans, and the Vagos. Contributors include Freewheelin' Frank (one-time secretary of Hells Angels), Edward Winterhalder (among the most powerful members of the Bandidos), and Sonny Barger (founder of the Hells Angels). Also included are those rare accounts by outsiders who have managed successfully to "look in" on the gangs: including Hunter S. Thompson in his Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Modern Saga; William Queen, the undercover agent who infiltrated America's violent outlaw motorcycle gang the Mongols; and Daniel R. Wolf's account of riding with the Rebels.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Veno is a leading expert on biker culture, and author of The Brotherhoods: Inside the Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs. He grew up in the US before moving to Australia. Most recently director of Monash University's Centre for Police and Justice Studies, Veno has studied the clubs for seventeen years, but he's no ordinary academic. He attends club nights, field days and runs, and counts members of the Gypsy Jokers, Hell's Angels and Coffin Cheaters as his friends (they call him the Mad Professor).

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Running Press; Sixth Printing edition (October 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786720468
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720460
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Crime & Criminals  > Gangs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bursting The Bikie Myths, November 6, 2007

By 

Paul Wilson (Gold Coast, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Bikers (Paperback)

A superb and tantalising book that looks at the life of what one reviewer has described as "the last free people in society". Art Veno's collection of first hand accounts of motorcycle gangs both reinforces some myths about them but, at the same time, explodes others. It is not all sex, drugs and rock and roll in bikie land, though, thankfully, there is plenty here about the sexual mores and rather exotic sexual practices of those who defy the conventions of "normal" society. But the book is much more than just a snapshot into the private lifes of the bikie sub-culture. it is also a rivetting account of the politics and social structure of motorcycle gangs. At the same time it shines a torch on our own society and the hypocrisy and cant that we sometimes preach. A rivetting read.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If your going to read just one book on bikers this is it., December 14, 2007

By 

8-Ball "8-Ball" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Bikers (Paperback)

This book is really just a combination of stories from several other books. I have read many other books on this topic so I found the book to be old news, but still worthy of a read. If your only going to read one book on bikers this would be a good choice.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peeling Back the Myths, November 20, 2007

By 

Michael Otterman (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Bikers (Paperback)

In this impressive tome, Arthur Veno collects 40 first-hand accounts from various biker insiders and observers. In addition to classic reports penned by Daniel Wolf and Sonny Barger, Veno digs deep into biker history and lore, uncovering many gems along the way.

Consider this, an excerpt from a 1947 San Francisco Chronicle article detailing efforts by Hollister police to force a "lull in the terrorism" at the town. "Armed with tear gas guns," it reads, "the officers herded the cyclists into a block on San Benito Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, parked a dance band on a truck and ordered the musicians to play. Hundreds of individuals who invaded the town yesterday for the motorcycle show, about 10 percent of them women, halted their riotous 'play' to dance."

In The Mammoth Book Of Bikers, this antagonistic--often-comical-- relationship between bikers and the police is laid bare. Veno deftly shows that this relationship-- fueled by a sensational press-- is symbiotic at its core. As one Hell's Angel put it bluntly to Hunter S. Thompson: "Of course I don't like to read all this... because it brings the heat down on us, but since we got famous we've had more... women come looking for us than we ever had before. Hell, these days we have more action than we can handle." Veno's book goes a long way at deconstructing myths about bikers-- while at the same time adding to the allure of the One Percenter lifestyle.