After the release of his international bestseller, 'The Name of the Rose' (1980), celebrated in a celebrated film, the Italian historian, aesthetician, and structuralist Umberto Eco found himself in a difficult position. How could he scale such heights a second time? How could he compose an equally successful book for a diverse audience, both erudite and uninitiated? A book as lively as it was wise, as sardonic as it was tender? The author took a risk—and confirmed his previous record. 'Foucault's Pendulum' (1988) achieved no less fame than 'The Name of the Rose,' and the only reason it wasn't made into a film was because the author himself refused the great Stanley Kubrick permission. On these pages, editors from a Milanese publishing house, Knights Templar, voodoo priests, and anti-fascist partisans interact. The legendary Templars, the secret masters of the world, are also mentioned, but only as a reminder: history is only credible when it is based on an indisputable document. Everything else is a game. A game that can be dangerous.