An inspired twisting of history and fiction by the best-selling author of THE NAME OF THE ROSE. Nineteenth-century Europe-from Turin to Prague to Paris-abounds with the ghastly and the mysterious. Conspiracies rule history. Jesuits plot against Freemasons. Italian republicans strangle priests with their own intestines. French criminals plan bombings by day and celebrate black masses at night. But what if, behind all of these conspiracies, lay one lone man? What if that evil genius created the most infamous document of all? Eco takes his readers on an unforgettable journey through the underbelly of world-shattering events.