Book excerpt: In the mid-1950s, Britain was gripped by the sudden terror of its own youth. As if from nowhere, gangs of young men, dressed in a remarkable new fashion, emerged to turn the streets, dance halls and fairgrounds into battlefields. The Teddy Boys had arrived. Soon they were blamed for a rising tide of post-War crime. Then the arrival of rock 'n' roll sparked rioting and further condemnation. Yet others saw the Teds as a positive sign of an independent generation, and similar fads were embraced in other countries. Their legacy survives today.