Talisman: Gnostics, Freemasons, Revolutionaries, and the 2000-Year-Old Conspiracy at Work in the World Today Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval. Element Books, $28.95 (562pp) ISBN 978-0-00-719036-2 ...

Explore the mystical world of Gnostic Christianity, where salvation comes through secret knowledge (gnosis), the material world is seen as a flawed creation, and the true God is beyond comprehension.