Secret Societies Handbook [Paperback]

Michael Bradley (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble; 2nd edition (September 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760762767
• ISBN-13: 978-0760762769
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #476,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GRADE A MATERIAL, May 26, 2006

By 

FaLKiN - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Societies Handbook (Paperback)

A good overall evaluation of the area of study. A great book to start with. Also great for refrences to start your own research in areas you find intresting or suspicious. I highly recommend this book to anyone who seeks some hidden truths about our economic and social background. I enjoyed the great amount of history included in the read. I really have a better understanding of why some things are set up the way they are in our modern world. Dont only buy this book, but share its knowledge!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh, Come On..., January 2, 2010

By 

Bill Martinak "thenak13" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Societies Handbook (Paperback)

This book wouldn't rate even a "D" if one of my students handed it in. Not a single source is given for the quotes, there is no bibliography or list of sources, and there are many historical inaccuracies put forth as fact. (For a single example, on page 27, Mr Bradley writes of the "Bohemian Club's Annual Summer Encampment" held at Bohemian's Grove in Monte Rio, California, that "it was at the Grove in 1967 that Ronald Reagan agreed with Richard Nixon to stay out of the forthcoming presidential nominations." In reality, Reagan announced his candidacy at the Republican National Convention in the summer of 1968.)

Mr Bradley tries to hedge his bets, showing the inherent weakness of his position. His concluding paragraph on the Illuminati states: "So, are they a bunch of evil puppet masters seeking world domination? Are they the power brokers behind the JFK assassination,the Federal Reserve, and the New World Order, or are they just a misunderstood bunch of Forbes rich-listers? Only time will tell." (pg 67) Yes, only time will tell because Mr Bradley cannot, offering us only half-baked ideas and unsubstantiated theories.

His epilogue is equally hollow: "Now that you have finished this book, you are probably thinking 'If everything I have read is true, and they are so powerful, how come they allowed it to be published at all? Why didn't they suppress such highly sensitive information?' That's easy. They rely on self-censorship. Refusing to believe what we cannot comprehend, or to ignore that which frightens us is human nature. Still unconvinced? How many reasons have you already invented to reassure yourself that none of this is true?" This reads like a high school freshman summing up a paper that he pretty much made up, trying to rationalize the lack of any real evidence in support of far-fetched speculation.

If this is the kind of thing you like to read, I've manila folders full of freshmen essays that you may find interesting, and, to a large extent, better written and researched than Mr Bradley's effort.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So-so, July 12, 2006

By 

Christopher Weuve (Charlottesville, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret Societies Handbook (Paperback)

As fiction: 3 stars. As history: 0 stars.

On the plus side, this slim volume does cover a lot of material, and does a fairly good job of it for limiting itself to about two or three small pages per society.

On the minus side, the author doesn't really make an attempt to present alternate points of view, and even some of his historical interpretations strike me as a little simplistic. He quotes highly questionable sources. In general, the author has drunk the Kool-Aid, and has a tendency to label every event that occurs behind closed doors as an anti-democratic global conspiracy aimed at creating a one-world govenment. There's a difference between a conspiracy to rule the world and a club for people who already rule the world.

All in all, it's an entertaining read, provided that you understand what the author does not -- that it is largely a work of historical FICTION.