The '''Octavian Society ''' was originally quite independent of The Augustan Society, Inc. It shared an Executive Director (our [[Founder]]), and it would not be surprising to learn that their publications were produced at Augustan Society Headquarters, but there was no official link between the two.
The impetus for the creation of the Octavian Society was an attempted takeover of The Augustan Society by a dissident group. The Society has suffered three such (to this writer's awareness), and this was the second and most serious. While turned aside, it gave Society principals cause for concern, as there was no way for a non-profit membership organization to prevent such a "takeover" if the majority of the members wished it. The Octavian Society deliberately avoided incorporation and non-profit status, and was run as a sole proprietorship by Rodney Hartwell. In this way, his control was certain.