Explodes many commonly held conceptions about the first Klan through meticulous research of thousands of sources."" - Agricultural History""Provides an interesting and insightful view of how the Klan phenomenon was portrayed in different venues and by different kinds of actors."" - American Historical Review""A superb, important new interpretation of the history of the first Ku Klux Klan. . . . Highly recommended for those interested in the history of the South, Reconstruction, and American racial violence."" - North Carolina Historical Review""As much a cultural history as it is an institutional history, a refreshing departure from a vast literature that has long cataloged the political, social, and economic implications of Reconstruction violence."" - Journal of the Civil War""Extraordinarily well-researched. . . .interesting and illuminating."" - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette""A happy marriage of the tools of social history and the insights of cultural history."" - Arkansas Historical Quarterly""Essential reading for scholars focusing on the Civil War, Reconstruction, or racist violence in America."" - H-Net Reviews""A provocative reevaluation of the Ku Klux Klan that is essential reading for anyone studying the Reconstruction South."" - Journal of Southern History