The only authentic history of the original Ku Klux Klan, this scholarly account was written by one who lived during the days of Reconstruction and was personally acquainted with not only the members of the Klan but some of its leaders as well. After the close of the Klan in 1877, she sought out many of the former leaders and interviewed them for her book, which was eventually published in 1924. Her goal was to leave an accurate account of the Ku Klux Klan that existed from 1865 until its close in 1877. Her account is the primary source for historical research. This reprint is faithful to the original even in the inclusion of her original photographic illustrations. The type in this reprint has been completely reset in a font similar to the original so that the reprint is clear and easy to read, and typographical errors found in the 1924 edition have been corrected.