Many, myself included, consider The Bikeriders by Danny Lyon, to be one of the seminal works bringing to light the often-misunderstood world of the Outlaw Biker culture. Originally published in 1968, this amazing compilation of photographs & interviews was collected by the books author during his time in Chicago’s Outlaws MC & documents the early days of the club.
Released just before Easy Rider captured the countries imagination with its sensationalized view of the outlaw biker, this book takes the reader on a harrowing ride through the underground world of the one per center club showing the outlaw life in all its gritty detail, while at the same time capturing the freedom & beauty of a life lived outside of societies confines.
In 2003 Chronicle Books released a new edition, which includes more than 20 never before published images as well as a new introduction by Danny Lyon. I encourage everyone out there remotely interested in motorcycles, photography or just people in general, to pick this book up, or at least check it out at your local library if they've got it.
