Escaping to the magnificence of the Tyrolean Alps for a much-needed respite from the angst of his life the narrator of this delightful and instructive tale encounters a mysterious dwarf who seems to understand the dilemmas that cloud his mind. The dwarf leads him to the Brothers of the Golden and Rosy Cross where the narrator begins his adventure among adepts of the Order. Franz Hartmann writes poetically about the beauty of the Alps and skilfully weaves the actual beliefs and practices of the Rosicrucians into a romantic and magical tale. It is a story which includes magic and an alchemical laboratory unexpected revelations recollections of past lives the Rosicrucian view of women and spirituality and the higher life. The book also includes an appendix about the establishment of a Rosicrucian institution in Switzerland. R.A. Gilbert a scholar of esoteric classics and renowned antiquarian provides an introduction exclusive to this edition of WITH THE ADEPTS which outlines Franz Hartmann's fascinating life and his involvement with the Theosophical Society and H.P. Blavatsky. Of WITH THE ADEPTS Gilbert writes In some ways the novel is reminiscent of Lost Horizon although it sets out to educate rather than to enthral. There is the same population of enigmatic figures in an inaccessible monastery the same religious syncretism sensual temptations and the price to be paid by giving in to them.