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In Valley of the Craftsmen, the story of "higher degree" Freemasonry is depicted through portraits, official papers, material objects, photographs, buildings, and stagecraft. Featuring many previously unpublished images, Valley of the Craftsmen begins with rare illustrations of the English and French philosophical sources that were projected upon an American landscape vitalized and transformed by the concept of fraternity. The story is framed by American popular culture and the serious private effort of individual men in small towns and expansive cities who were intent on developing a moral life in service to their communities.

The recruiting program of Illuminati founder Adam Weishaupt was focused on attracting the powerful and influential government ministers, educators, the press, authors and philosophers, booksellers and publishers, even religious leaders open to agnostic or atheist views. Many such men belonged to the masonic lodges of Germany, Austria, and France. The wider masonic network offered Weishaupt a respectable vehicle by which he was able to propagate his clandestine doctrines.

What message does the triumph of these secret societies carry for the modern world? English historian Una Birch attempts to answer this question from the point of view of the early twentieth century. Writing just a hundred years after the event, her closeness in time, and sympathy for the Revolution, offer a unique perspective to the modern reader. Editor James Wasserman adds a contemporary perspective that takes into account the events of the twentieth century that occurred after Ms. Birch wrote. He has also added a guide to the history and personalities of the French Revolution to help clarify the text.

* Reveals the secret activities of the Bavarian Illuminati and the Freemasons in organizing the French Revolution

* Traces the influence of the mysterious Illuminati agent, the Comte de Saint Germain, as he traveled through the courts and cities of Europe