The Mystery Babylon series is, in structural terms, a reading series. Cooper rarely argues in his own voice for long; he reads a book on air and comments as he goes. That makes the question of which books far more consequential than it would be for an ordinary broadcast, because the shape of the argument is largely the shape of Cooper’s bookshelf. This page maps that bookshelf: every work cited across the episode summaries on this site, which episodes use it, and its copyright status.
The sources and bibliography hub lists the works themselves. This page is the cross-reference: it answers where does this book appear and, read the other way, what is this episode built on. Where a single work is cited under several different forms across episodes, the citations are folded into one row here.
The Load-Bearing Sources
These are the works the series returns to across multiple episodes. Between them they account for the bulk of what listeners actually heard read aloud, across 39 of the 42 episodes.
| Work | Author | Year | Status | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma | Albert Pike | 1871 | Public domain | MB02, MB05, MB06, MB15, MB16, MB18, MB20, MB21, MB22, MB23, MB29, MB31, MB34 |
| Arkon Daraul, A History of Secret Societies | Arkon Daraul | 1961 | In copyright; quoted on air | MB08, MB09, MB10, MB11, MB12, MB13, MB14 |
| A. Ralph Epperson, The New World Order | A. Ralph Epperson | 1990 | In copyright; read verbatim on air | MB05, MB06, MB15, MB16, MB18, MB31 |
| Manly P. Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages | Manly P. Hall | 1928 | Copyright status varies by edition | MB15, MB16, MB18, MB20, MB24, MB25 |
| The Bible (King James Version) | King James Version | 1611 | Public domain | MB01, MB02, MB16, MB18, MB34, MB35 |
| William Cooper, Behold a Pale Horse | William Cooper | 1991 | In copyright; Cooper reads his own book | MB09, MB21, MB22, MB23, MB32 |
| Albert Mackey, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry | Albert G. Mackey | 1873; rev. 1924 | Public domain | MB15, MB16, MB39, MB40 |
| R. Swinburne Clymer, Rose Cross publications | R. Swinburne Clymer (ed.) | 1916-1952 | Mixed; 1916-17 volumes public domain | MB19, MB36, MB37, MB38 |
| The Occult History of the Third Reich (documentary series) | Documentary, parts 1, 2 and 4 | 1991-92 | In copyright; not available through this site | MB39, MB40, MB41 |
| Albert Mackey, other Masonic reference works | Albert G. Mackey | 19th century | Public domain | MB16, MB27, MB28 |
| Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons | Alexander Hislop | 1853 | Public domain | MB15, MB16, MB35 |
| Ed Decker and Dave Hunt, The Godmakers | Ed Decker and Dave Hunt | 1984 | In copyright; read at length | MB20, MB29, MB37 |
| Helena Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled | Helena P. Blavatsky | 1877; 1888 | Public domain | MB05, MB28, MB39 |
| Manly P. Hall, America’s Assignment with Destiny | Manly P. Hall | 1951 | In copyright; read at length | MB24, MB25, MB26 |
| Manly P. Hall, Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians | Manly P. Hall | 1937 | In copyright; quoted only | MB02, MB03, MB04 |
| Jordan Maxwell, That Old-Time Religion | Jordan Maxwell | n.d. | In copyright; quote-only | MB01, MB02 |
| Papal documents (Humanum Genus, In Eminenti, Syllabus of Errors) | Leo XIII; Clement XII; Pius IX | 1738-1884 | Public domain | MB13, MB34 |
| Plutarch, Isis and Osiris | Plutarch | 1st century AD | Public domain | MB03, MB04 |
| William Morgan, Illustrations of Masonry | Captain William Morgan | 1826 | Public domain | MB15, MB22 |
| Albert Pike, Legenda | Albert Pike | 1888 | Public domain | MB31 |
| Antony C. Sutton, America’s Secret Establishment | Antony C. Sutton | 1986 | In copyright; cited, not read | MB13 |
| Charles William Heckethorn, The Secret Societies of All Ages and Countries | C. W. Heckethorn | 1875 | Public domain (1875 edition) | MB22 |
| Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy | Ellen G. White | 1888 | Public domain (1888 edition) | MB07 |
| John J. Robinson, Born in Blood and Dungeon, Fire and Sword | John J. Robinson | 1989; 1991 | In copyright; read on air | MB07 |
| Nesta Webster, Secret Societies and Subversive Movements | Nesta Webster | 1924 | Public domain | MB18 |
| Ralph Woodrow, Babylon Mystery Religion | Ralph Woodrow | 1981 | In copyright; read at length | MB35 |
| Robert Spenser, The Cult of the All-Seeing Eye | Robert Spenser | 1960 | In copyright; read at length | MB30 |
What the Concentration Shows
Two patterns are worth noting. The first is how much weight rests on a small number of twentieth-century popular works rather than on primary documents. Arkon Daraul’s A History of Secret Societies (1961) is read across six consecutive episodes and supplies most of the Gnostic, Assassin and Templar material, including the claimed connections between them. A. Ralph Epperson’s The New World Order (1990) supplies the framing of the opening run. Where the series cites genuinely ancient or primary material, such as Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, Tertullian or the medieval chroniclers, it is usually reaching them through one of these modern intermediaries rather than directly.
The second is that the nineteenth-century Masonic authors the series treats as hostile witnesses, principally Albert Pike and Albert Mackey, are quoted accurately and are genuinely in the public domain, which is why their passages can be checked in full. Anyone wanting to test the series’ reading of Freemasonry can go straight to those texts on the Internet Archive rather than taking either Cooper’s or a critic’s summary on trust. That is the single most useful verification route the series offers, and the Freemasonry hub sets out what those passages say in context.
Additional Works by Episode
Beyond the recurring texts above, most episodes cite works used once. They are listed here by episode so any single broadcast can be traced to its full source list.
| Episode | Additional works cited |
|---|---|
| MB01 | Norman J. Berrill, Man’s Emerging Mind (quoted within Graham); Robert Klark Graham, The Future of Man (1970); Theodosius Dobzhansky, Evolution, Genetics and Man (quoted within Graham) |
| MB03 | Diodorus Siculus, Library of History (1st century BC); Iamblichus, Life of Pythagoras (c. 300 AD); Synesius, On Providence (c. 400 AD) |
| MB04 | G.S. Faber, The Origin of Pagan Idolatry (1816), quoted within Hall; The Book of the Dead (Budge translation, 1895) |
| MB05 | Alice Bailey, Aldous Huxley, Alvin Toffler, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Constance Cumbey, Texe Marrs (20th century works); Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto (1848); Manly P. Hall, Lectures on Ancient Philosophy (1929) |
| MB06 | George Orwell, 1984 (1949); New York Times articles on the February 1962 planetary conjunction (February 4-6, 1962); Ruth Montgomery, The Gift of Prophecy and other works (various); Texe Marrs, Alice Bailey, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Benjamin Creme (20th century works) |
| MB07 | Bishop Stephen D. Lewis, The Present Truth; Danny Vierra, Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive; J.A. Wylie, The History of Protestantism (1878); Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliothecca Canonica (1766 edition in use) |
| MB08 | Apuleius, The Golden Ass (c. AD 158); St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto (c. AD 375); Tertullian, Apology (c. AD 197); Tertullian, De Corona (c. AD 211); William Walters Sargant, Battle for the Mind (1957) |
| MB10 | The Ancient Art of Imposture, Abdel-Rahman of Damascus (medieval); The Travels of Marco Polo (c. 1300, various translations) |
| MB11 | Secret Societies of the Middle Ages, Thomas Keightley (1837); The History of the Assassins, Joseph von Hammer (1835 English translation) |
| MB12 | Arabic Life of Saladin by Qadi Yusuf ibn Rafi ibn Shaddad (c. 1190s); William of Tyre, Historia Rerum in Partibus Transmarinis Gestarum (c. 1184) |
| MB13 | A Distant Mirror, Barbara Tuchman (1978); Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry, John J. Robinson (1989); The Birth of Britain, Winston Churchill (1956); The letters of John Ball (1381, via medieval chronicles) |
| MB14 | Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike (1871); The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (disputed document, 1903 publication) |
| MB15 | Adam Weishaupt, writings and letters (late 18th century); Kenneth MacKenzie, The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia (1877); Manly P. Hall, What the Ancient Wisdom Expects of Its Disciples (1923) |
| MB16 | Kenneth MacKenzie, The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia (1877); Michel Bertrand and Jean Angelini, The Occult and the Third Reich (French original, 1978) |
| MB18 | A. C. de la Rive, La Femme et l’Enfant dans la Franc-Maconnerie Universelle (1894); Edith Starr Miller, Occult Theocracy (1933); Manly P. Hall, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry (1923); Shirley MacLaine, Dancing in the Light (1985) |
| MB19 | Grace K. Morey, article in the Buffalo Express, July 16, 1916 (quoted within the 1916 book) |
| MB21 | Freemasonry: A Celebration of the Craft (Masonic reference, publisher and date not given on air) |
| MB24 | Popul Vuh (Quiche Maya sacred text, compiled 17th century from earlier oral tradition; English translation by Kenneth S. Guthrie in The Word, 1890s; Delia Goetz and Sylvanus Morley translation, University of Oklahoma Press, 1950) |
| MB25 | Albert Reville, Hibbard Lectures (1894), quoted within Hall; Popul Vuh (Quiche Maya sacred text; English translation by Delia Goetz and Sylvanus G. Morley, University of Oklahoma Press, 1950; earlier serial English translation by Kenneth S. Guthrie in The Word) |
| MB26 | Arthur C. Parker, account of Seneca Midewiwin ceremony (1919, published in ethnological reports); Grace A. Fendler, New Truths About Columbus (cited by Hall); Jennings C. Wise, The Mystery of Columbus (cited by Hall) |
| MB27 | E.B.G., In the Coils; or, The Coming Conflict, 2nd ed. (Collins & McDill, Philadelphia, 1883); Missouri Grand Lodge Report for 1867; P.J. O’Rourke, remarks at the Cato Institute, reprinted in American Spectator, July 1993; Rob Morris, Dictionary of Freemasonry (Cooper cites pages 29, 325); William Preston Webb, Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor (revised edition; Cooper cites page 195) |
| MB28 | Adam Weishaupt, founding documents of the Bavarian Illuminati (1776); referenced by Maxwell; Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two (1982); referenced by Hilder |
| MB29 | Brigham Young, sermons in Journal of Discourses (1854-1886), multiple volumes |
| MB30 | Alfred Edward Waite, The Secret Doctrine of Israel (1913); Alice A. Bailey, writings of the Arcane School (cited by Spenser); Dag Hammarskjold, official UN leaflet describing the Meditation Room (1957); M. Oldfield Howey, The Encircled Serpent (1928); Manly P. Hall, The Secret Destiny of America (1944) (referenced in closing); P. D. Ouspensky, writings on objective art (cited by Spenser); World Goodwill Bulletin, Lucis Trust, special UN edition (July 1957) |
| MB31 | Richard Kieninger (writing as Eklal Kueshana), The Ultimate Frontier (1963), referenced by Number 2; Richard W. Noone, 5/5/2000 Ice: The Ultimate Disaster (1982), interview transcript |
| MB32 | Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963); Aid and Abet Police Newsletter, Volume 2, Number 1 (editor: Jack McLamb); Humanist Manifesto II (1973); Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488 (1961); Weep for Our Children (cited in the letter; author and publisher not named on air) |
| MB34 | “Secrets in the Vatican II: The Church and the Secret Societies, A Brief History,” La Traviata, December 1993 (author unnamed) |
| MB35 | Herodotus, The Histories (5th century BC), cited via Woodrow as a witness to the mystery religion; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (c. AD 93-94), cited via Woodrow for the Nimrod account |
| MB36 | Dictionary of Freemasonry (source of delta definition Cooper quotes at opening) |
| MB38 | Roman historical accounts of the Germanic and Celtic tribes (cited by Cooper without specific attribution) |
| MB39 | Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (1925); quoted briefly in the documentary: “In the swastika we see the mission for the struggle of the victory of Aryan man”; Guido Von List, writings on runic symbolism and the Armanenschaft; discussed in the documentary |
| MB40 | Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man (1871); quoted briefly in the documentary on the effects of modern medicine on evolution; Heinrich Himmler, speeches and official SS documents; quoted in the documentary; Jorg Lanz, journal Ostara (founded 1905) and associated essays; discussed in the documentary |
| MB41 | Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (1925); quoted briefly in the documentary on the state’s racial mission; Francis Galton, foundational eugenics writings; discussed in the documentary; Heinrich Himmler, speeches including the 1937 address to German army officers; quoted in the documentary; SS catechism, Race and Resettlement Bureau documents, Lebensborn records; discussed in the documentary |
| MB42 | W. Winwood Reade, The Veil of Isis; or, Mysteries of the Druids (1861); read at length throughout the episode |
A Note on Copyright and Quotation
This site quotes from copyrighted works only to the extent needed to document what was broadcast and to comment on it. Works marked public domain can be read in full at the Internet Archive and elsewhere, and where practical those are the editions linked from the episode pages. Works still in copyright are described and quoted briefly but are not reproduced or distributed here. The same applies to the audio: the series is preserved at the Internet Archive and this site links rather than hosts it. See our content policy.
Every book recommended across this series is collected, with a note on what each one is actually good for, on the Top Picks reading list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the source map?
A cross-reference between the books read on air across William Cooper’s Mystery Babylon series and the episodes that use them, showing which works carry the argument and where each can be found.
Which book does the series rely on most?
By episode count, Arkon Daraul’s A History of Secret Societies (1961), read across six consecutive episodes covering Gnosticism, the Assassins, the Templars and the Roshaniya. Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma (1871) is the most frequently returned-to primary text.
Which of these books can I read for myself?
The nineteenth-century Masonic works, the ancient and medieval texts, and several early twentieth-century titles are public domain and available in full at the Internet Archive. The rows marked public domain in the tables above indicate which.
Where can I listen to the episodes?
The surviving audio is preserved at the Internet Archive: Mystery Babylon audio collection on archive.org.
Related Reference
- Sources and bibliography hub — the works themselves
- Series timeline — every dated claim in chronological order
- Lineage chart — the claimed chain of transmission, link by link
- All 42 episode summaries
- Topic hubs