"In short, I have found that the covert of a Mason Lodge had been employed in every country for venting and propagating sentiments in religion and politics, that could not have circulated in public without exposing the author to great danger. I found, that this impunity had gradually encouraged men of licentious principles to become more bold, and to teach doctrines subversive of all our notions of morality-of all our confidence in the moral government...

Mention the word Freemason and you are bound to get a reaction. Nobody is neutral on the subject - some people hold this ancient organization responsible for all the world's wrongs while others see it simply as a benign entity working for the common good. The Secrets of the Freemasons strips away the centuries-old layers of mystique and misunderstanding to offer an informed yet entertaining insight into the organization's origins, beliefs, practices...

Secret societies are becoming increasingly controversial-thrust into public awareness by popular books, films, the Internet, and a host of recent documentaries. In academia, this exposure finds a parallel in the proliferation of research, institutes, and conferences. Yet the media depictions tend to be caricatures, a playing to pervasive stereotypes for public consumption, while the academic stress historical and philological matters. Indeed, to the...

"Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with the final riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever in The Bronzed Beasts. After Séverin's seeming betrayal, the crew is fractured. Armed with only a handful of hints, Enrique, Laila, Hypnos and Zofia must find their way through the snarled, haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Séverin....

Painter Crowe, director of Sigma Force, joins forces with Commander Gray Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal, one that has been manipulating American history since the founding of the thirteen colonies.

"The Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world. Thirteen times it has been vandalized, dismantled, or stolen. Why? What secrets does it hold? Enter UNESCO investigator, Nicholas Lee, who works for the United Nations' Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO). Nick's job is to protect the world's cultural artifacts-including countless lesser-known objects and national treasures. When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with...

Matured a little by the experience with Ekwensu, Sunny and her friends continue their studies in the Leopard Society, which feels anticlimactic. But the lord of the lakes isn't done with Sunny, and she has to team up with both Leopards and Lambs to travel to the mythical town of Osisi for a final showdown which could destroy humanity.

Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth, who in the middle of class takes a sudden spin to a different era! Gwyneth must now unearth the mystery of why her mother would lie about her birth date to ward off suspicion about her ability, brush up on her history, and work with Gideon--the time traveler from a similarly gifted family that...

"When Rye O'Chanter is declared an outlaw from her own village, she finds herself stuck on a strange remote island. But the island comes to feel much less remote when the battle over the future of the Luck Uglies moves to its shores"--

Grand Sheik Kudjo Adwo EL presents a treatise putting to rest the false argument that wearing of the fez, originated with European secret societies. Using historical evidence, "Who Stole the Fez?" tracks wearing of the fez and tarboosh, from ancient Khemet (Egypt) to Moorish Spain to World War II.