Richard Spence
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English
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This richly detailed biography of Andrew Jackson Donelson (1799-1871) sheds new light on the political and personal life of this nephew and namesake of Andrew Jackson. A scion of a pioneering Tennessee family, Donelson was a valued assistant and trusted confidant of the man who defined the Age of Jackson. One of those central but background figures of history, Donelson had a knack for being where important events were happening and knew many of the...
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When and how did the Allies find out about the Holocaust, and what were the intelligence sources that delivered the information? This fundamental collection of research studies digs deeply into that sensitive topic and sheds new light on the realities of code-breaking and understanding of what was happening in Nazi-occupied Europe during the Second World War. Documents with their sources have been assembled from many previously closed archives. Includes...
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 2
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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.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 3
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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?
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 19
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English
Description
Examine how the Black Dragons had a huge impact in pushing Japan into fanaticism, militarism, and a devastating war. Then, explore additional Asian-based groups, including the Green Dragons and the Genyosha (or Dark Ocean), and how they dabbled in everything from major bombings to a plan to assassinate Charlie Chaplin.
6) Crimes of the Century: A Selective History of Infamy: Murderous Maids: The Papin Sisters of France
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When it comes to murder, "why-dunnit" often can be more captivating than "who-dunnit." Case in point is the murder of a well-to-do French woman and her daughter at the hands of two maids who were discovered cowering in the attic and covered in blood. What drove the Papin sisters to kill, and to kill so savagely?
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Weimar Republic Germany is a wrenching period to read about: a failed state, a political and economic roller coaster, and a psychologically traumatized era suffering a plague of madmen, sex fiends, and serial killers. Here, you will survey three Weimar-era murder cases: the sadistic Peter Kürten, the "butcher" Fritz Haarmann, and the unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders.
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Conclude with one final murder spree in the rolling hills of Tuscany. Over 18 years, Il Mostro di Firenze committed eight double homicides that remain unsolved today despite 100,000 men investigating and a dozen arrests over the years. Was this spree the product of one killer or many? What could have been the motivations?
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 20
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English
Description
Propaganda-Due, or P-2 , an Italian pseudo-Masonic organization, has been tied to a number of shady crimes and mysteries, including corruption, bribes, and even murder. Yet it was made up of senior military and police officers, parliament members, journalists, and the heads of all three of Italy's intelligence agencies. Learn how this organization grew to include such important figures.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 4
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English
Description
Professor Spence looks at the secret societies behind the Boston Tea Party and Bastille Day. Explore the roles that the Sons of Liberty, the Society of the Friends of the Constitution (the Jacobins), the Nine Sisters Lodge, and other groups played in these important revolutions and learn how Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founders were involved with secret groups.
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The ghastly murder of Bridget Cleary in turn-of-the-century Ireland takes us into the mystery of human psychology. On the surface, it seems her husband, Michael, murdered her because he believed she was a "changeling" fairy in disguise. Could he really have believed that? Was he mad? Why else could have driven this murder?
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 14
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English
Description
The Irish Republican Army was a tightly organized secret society battling the greatest power on Earth, the British empire. But they were not the first secret society to practice resistance in Ireland. Professor Spence introduces you to The Whiteboys, the Peep o'Day Boys, the Orange Order, the Sons of the Shamrock, Young Ireland, the Molly Maguires, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and more.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 15
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English
Description
Professor Spence opens the door on secret-society conspiracy that permeated across countries and decades, with each iteration more complicated and bizarre than the last. The Learned Elders of Zion never actually existed, but to this made-up secret society was attributed a real-life protocol to take over the world, which caused (and continues to cause) incalculable harm and religious intolerance.
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Unsolved murders are as compelling as anything you might see in the movies. It is fitting then that our first "crime of the century" is the mysterious murder of a Hollywood director in 1922. William Desmond Taylor was not who he seemed to be, and his death continues to fascinate a century later.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 23
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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.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 21
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English
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Professor Spence turns his focus to the United States and uniquely American secret societies, including the sham group known as the U.S. Secret and Civil Service Society, Self-Supporting Branch. He also covers the disturbing emergence and evolution of the Ku Klux Klan. Discover how the secret societies that emerged during this period acted as a reflection of America at the turn of the century.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 24
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English
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From the 1920 Wall Street bombing to the events of 9/11, see where secret societies have embraced terrorism as a mind game throughout history. Most secret orders are more or less harmless, but Professor Spence peers inside some which have used violence to further their agendas, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Red Army Faction, the Weathermen, and the Symbionese Liberation Army.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 11
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English
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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.
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Real History of Secret Societies volume 25
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English
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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.
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The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip was one of the most world-shaking events in the 20th century. Although the events are clear and well-known, the motivation behind the murder is rife with conspiracy. Dive into a cycle of mystery and violence in early 20th century Sarajevo.