First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"This is a fine collection of high-quality papers concerning millenarianism in Western culture." -- American Journal of Sociology
"...a significant contribution as a general scholarly introduction to the subject of apocalyptic and millennial movements in contemporary North American society." -- Nathan Rousseau, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
"This is a fine collection of high-quality papers concerning millenarianism in Western culture...enlightening...fascinating." -- American Journal of Sociology
"This volume makes a worthwhile contribution to the literature. There is no question that the subject matter makes this a timely and important book...the book raises the standard for future studies." -- Contemporary Sociology
"This volume documents the richness and diversity of the contemporary apocalyptic imagination." -- Stephan Stein, Religious Studies Review, April 2002
"Robbins and Palmer's book...goes far toward filling the need for a broad, scholarly, and yet accessible overview of contemporary millennialism in North America... The case studies that constitute the bulk of this volume are highly effective in addressing many of the fundamental questions that face scholars of millennialism... it is unquestionably a significant contribution as a general scholarly introduction to the subject of apocalyptic and millennial movements in contemporary North American society." -- Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
"...excellent collection of original papers by 21 qualified authors from nine academic fields... Highly recommended for seminary, graduate, and professional libraries." -- R.L. Herrick Choice
"...excellent... the contributors ... analyze contemporary religious movements from the Mormons to Waco and Aum Shinrikyo, and explain the central significance of prophecy in these movements." -- Elaine Showalter, Washington Post
"Robbins and Palmer have gathered a number of essays that take a sober look at the phenomenon of apocalypticism in the modern world... In all of the essays, the authors attempt to show how apocalyptic groups may be defined by their attention to the signs of the millennium and the signs of a messiah, a figure who will draw to a close one epoch and usher in a new one, and the ways in which these dual beliefs often lead to mayhem." -- Publishers Weekly
"This collection gives a good overview of a complicated topic by delving into the various movements that are looking at the millennium as a watershed event for their particular set of beliefs." -- Library Journal
"[This book] provide[s] a wealth of details on groups arising out of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, and Seventh-day Adventist churches, as well as those originating from a diverse number of secular movements ranging from the militas to environmentalist." --Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Baylor Univ., Waco, TX for Journal of Church and State."

Thomas Robbins is an independent sociologist of Religion. He is the author of Cults, Converts and Charisma (1988) and has co-edited numerous books, among them In Gods We Trust (1990) and Between Sacred and Secular (1994). Susan J. Palmer teaches at Dawson College and Concordia University and specializes in new religious movements. She is the author of Moon Sisters, Krishna Mothers, Rajneesh Lovers and AIDS as an Apocalyptic Metaphor.