Back in print, Portis's brilliant "white comedy" is an unforgettable tale of secret societies, lost cities, and sacred texts--a cockeyed journey into an America of misfits and con men, oddballs and innocents.

Back in print, Portis's brilliant "white comedy" is an unforgettable tale of secret societies, lost cities, and sacred texts--a cockeyed journey into an America of misfits and con men, oddballs and innocents.

Lamar Jimmerson is the leader of the Gnomon Society, the international fraternal order dedicated to preserving the arcane wisdom of the lost city of Atlantis. Stationed in France in 1917, Jimmerson comes across a little book crammed with Atlantean puzzles, Egyptian riddles, and extended alchemical metaphors. It's the Codex Pappus - the sacred Gnomon text. Soon he is basking in the lore of lost Atlantis, convinced that his mission on earth is to administer to and extend the ranks of the noble brotherhood.