Mammoth Book of Bikers

This is a good book to get a glimps at the Biker world but what it really does is highlight some other good books that are worth reading. After I finished this book I went out and boughtseveral of the books that were used to write this book and read the rest of te story.

I have always been interested in the Knights Templar and also what became of them and whether there are any societies today that are descended from them.If you read this book to find some hidden secrets;I doubt you'll find any. However; this book is worthwhile reaing if you are interested in the historical connection of the Masons of ancient times,through the Middle Ages to the present Freemasons. The author makes an attemppt to answer these questions by using the writings of 5 major historians ,who were Masons themselves,to present their views.These 5 writers all conclude that Freemasonry has roots that preceed by many centuries ,the date of 1717 that is accepted as the date that Freemasonry was founded in London. While all these 5 vary in one way or another,the reader will be convinced that the roots go back much further. Also ,the house journal "Quatuor Coronati", the self professed "Premier" lodge of research, rejects the writings and research of these people;and continue to hold to the date of 1717 as the date of founding and Freemasonry has no direct connections to Masons of the past,Templars,or any of the multitude of societies from the Middle Ages or Ancient History. If you think settling the question,is simple;you are in for one big surprise,when you see the number of societies and organizations involved.The complexity of searching lineage of Royal Families,Politics or even Christianity is relatively simple by comparison.What we are dealing with here goes back past the time of the Druids,Ancient Egypt and the dawn of Civilization, It seem to me,after reading this book;that to say that Freemasonry has no roots past its founding in 1717 would be akin to accepting that The Mormons have no roots to God before Joseph Smith in 1830. In summary;I found the book very interesting,but that does not preclude the idea that ,it probably leaves more questions than answers and little in the way of revealed secrets. In the Middle Ages,there were a multitude of secret societies.The Masons seemed to be as much an organization that dwelt with the building trades;much like our present day Professional societies of Architects,Engineers and Tradesmen,Unions etc; where skills were developed and work was controlled and participants were looked after. In any orgnization involving people,control,beliefs,power,money etc ;it never seems to take long for rifts,splits,power and beliefs,to clash.It seem this was true in the history of "The Masons" as it was anywhere else.

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.

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.

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.