Catalog Search Results
Author
Language
English
Description
"From beloved cultural historian and acclaimed author of Ghostland, a history of America's obsession with secret societies and the conspiracies of hidden power The United States was born in paranoia. From the American Revolution (thought by some to be a conspiracy organized by the French) to the Salem witch trials to the Satanic Panic, Illuminati and QAnon, one of the most enduring narratives that defines the United States is simply this: secret groups...
Language
English
Description
Mysterious and insular associations are a phenomenon as old as the pyramids. People have formed clandestine organizations, with idiosyncratic rules, rites and practices that have attracted the wealthy, respected, and powerful. From Freemasons and Knights Templar, to Sons of Liberty, Black Hand, and Skull and Bones, these groups have been religious, political, nefarious or just plain silly—and now this special edition from LIFE unlocks the door
...Author
Language
English
Description
Do criminal gangs really qualify as secret societies? Yes: They're selective in membership, require oaths and initiations, and members usually advance through grades or ranks. From the early 20th-century Thuggees of India to the modern-day mafias that have arisen in cities all over the world, you'll get to know the seedy underbelly of society like never before.
Author
Language
English
Description
Professor Spence introduces you to a crazy-sounding story about Aleister Crowley's secret society, Ordo Templi Orientis, as he debates the merits of truth around it. From there, hear some fantastical stories about UFOs, the Priory of Sion, the American Heraldry Society, the Society of St. John of Jerusalem, and other groups and events developed from hoaxes designed to distract and mislead.
Author
Language
English
Description
Taking an in-depth look at The Order, FEAR (Forever Enduring, Always Ready), the Silver Legion of America (Silver Shirts), and others, Professor Spence demonstrates how so many of these secret societies begot, influenced, or resulted in other ones, keeping the tradition going and suggesting that there are hundreds, if not thousands, more that have remained secret.
Author
Language
English
Description
Willa Rhoads was 16 when she died. The discovery of her body five years after her death opened the door to a public awareness of the Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven, also known as the Blackburn Cult. Professor Spence uses this obscure story to introduce you to the idea that secret societies come in many forms and operate under many names.
Author
Language
English
Description
The Freemasons don't hide their existence. However, they did popularize the idea of secrecy: adopting a clandestine set of identifying factors, ensuring their rituals and initiations are complicated and intimidating, and even having a term for outsiders or non-members. Discover the multiple evolutions and adaptions of Freemasons, which have helped to keep this group shrouded in mystery.
Author
Language
English
Description
Professor Spence introduces you to The Ancient and Mystical Order of the Rosae Crucis, which might be the first commercially marketed secret society. During the early 20th century, the mystical order's grand imperator, H. Spencer Lewis, claimed that "The Secrets Entrusted to the Few," including skills like levitation and telepathy, could be yours for a low price.
Author
Language
English
Description
Explore the roots of the 28-year-old Adam Weishaupt's secret society, the Order of Perfectibilists, which later became the Order of the Illuminati, or, in German, the Illuminatenordern: The Order of the Enlightened. Discover how Weishaupt envisioned nothing less than "A New World," which necessitated destruction of Christianity and all other forms of religion.
Author
Language
English
Description
Travel back to Ancient Greece to hear what we know of the Eleusinian Mysteries, among the most ancient and prestigious of the Greco-Roman world. This first secret society, which had endured for almost 2,000 years, counted among its members the likes of Socrates, Plato, Plutarch, and Cicero. Professor Spence also considers if secret societies ever die or if they just change into something else.
Author
Language
English
Description
Get a brief introduction to the realm of secret societies you will study throughout this series as seen through the personal experience of Professor Spence in his home town of Taft, California. Often demonized by their enemies and misunderstood by outsiders, many secret societies have become the stuff of myths and conspiracy theories.
Author
Language
English
Description
Uncover the story behind the Knights Templar: a military monastic order founded during the Crusades who persevered through time to become the subject of so much rumor, speculation, and outright fantasy that it's almost impossible to separate fact from fiction. Are they guardians for a holy bloodline? Secret devil worshippers? Are they connected to the Kabbalists?
Author
Language
English
Description
Professor Spence starts with the 1244 fall of Montsegur, which most history books note as the Cathars' last stand as an organized movement. Yet, as Professor Spence demonstrates, this influential group shows up over and over throughout history. See how the Cathars inherited and adapted much older beliefs, and how they undoubtedly influenced other groups to come.
Author
Language
English
Description
Travel to a historic empire that stretched from Anatolia to Central Asia as you get to know The Assassins, whose roots reach back at least as far as the beginning of Islam in the 7th century. See how "assassin," our generic term for professional killer, is linked to the asaiyun, who were notably the cause of 200 years of terrorism and murder.
Language
English
Description
"This anthology explores unanswered questions about humanity's origins and history. Some ancient civilizations had inexplicably and mysteriously advanced knowledge of science, agriculture, and astronomy. To the anthology authors, the myths, cosmology, and secret societies of these long-ago cultures may hold the answers. Among the topics discussed are architecture that aligns with certain stars, far-flung cultures with startling similarities, and the...