This is a gripping and definitive account of the rise of outlaw biker culture in Australia. It includes dedicated mailing and e-mail campaign to targeted media and organizations. Bikers consider themselves the 'last free people in society', unconstrained by the rules and regulations that govern ordinary citizens. Proud of their status as being outside the law, these gangs guard their privacy jealously, and have strict admission rules. The Brotherhoods is an account of biker culture that is as close to firsthand as is ever likely to be published. Drawing on indepth interviews, personal stories and years of meticulous research, leading biker-culture expert Arthur Veno explains the rules and rituals of the clubs, tells of landmark incidents, and profiles some of the most infamous bikers. In this fully revised edition of The Brotherhoods, he also outlines the rise of the so-called Nike bikers whose drugs and turf wars threaten to spill onto the streets, and the attempts by governments to introduce controversial laws to control the violence.