What an unusual book this is.
I have never read anything quite like it.
Throughout the work I could not make up my mind as to whether it was one giant hoot, or a serious proposition.
Either way I found it strangely enjoyable.
So if you have struggled in vain to nudge open the door to Freemasonary, or have been rejected by the Rotary Club or the Ancient Order of Buffaloes, worry no longer.
Start your own secret society.
Why not? It's easier than you think.
You wouldn't be the first to do so.
Impress your friends.
Get them wondering.
All that time they never realised you were a high ranking officer in something or other.
"Hey, fancy joining the Brothers of Gorgonzola, better known as BOG? You will be amazed at what you might discover.
Amazed at the, cough, cough, history.
" It's all there, down in black and white.
How to invent, or borrow, a history for your society.
How to set up and run initiation ceremonies.
Goodness me.
How to promote your society and recruit members.
Supremely valuable information, you must agree.
My mind wandered to thinking of the society Mister Harding himself might have set up.
Meeting in creaky hotels the length and breadth of the land, facing rag, tag and bobtail across the oak table.
Planning goodness knows what.
The mind boggles.
I found myself dreaming of faraway lands of windswept mountains and deep valleys where turbulent rivers rush down to the sea, where an ancient high priest struggles with his footing, reaching out, thrusting his golden baton toward me containing vital secrets lost in the mists of time.
I can't reach it! I can't reach it! "Wake up! Wake up! You'll be late for work!" Ah well, perhaps next time.
It's a joke isn't it, the book I mean, and quite a funny one at that.
Isn't it? Of course it is.
It must be.
May be not.
I will leave you to decide.
Either way, I found it an oddly engaging read.