Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies (Unabridged)

An indispensable guide, Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies connects the dots and sets the record straight on a host of greedy gurus and murderous messiahs, crepuscular cabals, and suspicious coincidences. Divided into three sections, its hundreds of entries separate facts from myths.

Some topics are familiar: the Kennedy assassinations, the Bilderberg Group, the Illuminati, Area 51, the People's Temple, and Heaven's Gate - and some surprising, like Oulipo, a select group of intellectuals (Italo Calvino was a member) who created wild formulas for creating literary masterpieces, and the Chauffeurs, an 18th-century society of French home invaders, who set fire to their victims' feet.

Easy to spend hours with and fun to dip into, and seasoned with just the right amount of common sense skepticism, Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies is a refreshing look at some of the most fascinating people, moments, and places in history.