E Clampus Vitus

Book excerpt: The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus is a fraternal society established in California during the Gold Rush. Dormant by the early 20th century, it was revived in 1930 as the New Dispensation of E Clampus Vitus. From 1934 to the centennial of the Gold Rush in 1949, six volumes of New Dispensation lore were written to announce and explain E Clampus Vitus. This anthology brings these six volumes together for the first time in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the publication of the first volume in the series. Volumes included are The Enigmatical Book of Vitus, The Curious Book of Clampus or Gumshaniana, My Darling's ECV: The Esoteric Book of E, Ye Preposterous Booke of Brasse, Credo Quia Absurdum and Fool's Gold. For Clampers, this anthology is essential for a more complete understanding of their society. For non-Clampers, this anthology provides a new perspective on the Gold Rush and the celebration of its traditions by E Clampus Vitus today.