The Ivy League is full of societies and clubs, some public and some very private. But none is as secret as Yale's infamous Skull and Bones. Founded in the nineteenth century and housed in an ominous crypt-like building referred to as the "Tomb," Skull and Bones secretly taps for membership a small number of Yale students each year. All are sworn to secrecy about what goes on inside the Tomb, and about how powerful the organization really is. Rumors abound. It has been said that Bonesmen (as its members are known) are so protective of the organization's secrets that they must leave the room if the words "Skull and Bones" are uttered.

It has been said that the Tomb contains stolen relics such as Geronimo's skull. It has been said that upon graduation from Yale each member is given a substantial sum of money with numerous strings attached. It has even been said that Skull and Bones is the dark heart of the secret world government. People point to a suspicious number of Bonesmen who have gone on to positions of power and influence, deserved or not, including George W. Bush, his father George H.W. Bush, United States Senators, CIA officials, cabinet members, and numerous heads of major international corporations.

Now, in SECRETS OF THE TOMB, acclaimed journalist Alexandra Robbins accomplishes what no one before her ever has. She has managed to get scores of Bonesmen to talk about what really happens inside the Tomb, and exactly what influence the organization really wields. She reveals for the first time who has been a member, and what that membership has meant. Robbins takes us inside the Tomb, and on to Skull and Bones's private island.

She reveals the organization's secret initiation rites, and dissects their true impact on world affairs.

A spectacular feat of investigative reporting, SECRETS OF THE TOMB is more than the definitive book on the most secret society in the world. It is also a provocative exploration of our need for conspiracy and connection.

Formerly on the staff of The New Yorker, Alexandra Robbins has written for numerous magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly, where she has written on George W. Bush's Skull and Bones experiences. She is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller QUARTERLIFE CRISIS and a 1998 graduate of Yale.