9780859651257 / 0859651258

The mean and moody leather boy on a thundering bike is one of the strongest, most potent images of popular culture. Rejecting stereotyped bourgeois conformism, rockers crystallised a youth style. This book is about that epic style, evolving from a cross-fertilisation of influences, a love affair with bikes and speed, and a British interpretation of American 'glamour'. All this took on a new perspective with the eruption of rock'n'roll.

Streamlined drainpipe jeans and clean-cut leathers were tailored for the sleek, throbbing British 'iron' and the gutsy music. All were elements of the style, reflecting a raw edginess, a studied cook, a search for excitement, a hint of sex and even of violence. This style survived Mods and flower power, not even eclipsing before today's long-haired 'bikers'.

To explain the myth and magic, the author looks at dream machines, the original heroes and, above all, the ton-up boys themselves. Why the cult endures is encapsulated in the photographs. Rare and eye-catching they explain the enduring fascination of rocker culture.