RECOMMENDED READINGS
ABOUT HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY
The following list of books provides a basis for the study of
the History of Freemasonry.
A Candid Disquisition by Wallace McLeod, Masonic Book
Club, Bloomington, Ill., 1989.
A Comprehensive View
of Freemasonry by Henry W. Coil
A brief but comprehensive view of Freemasonry from the earliest historical
record to the present day.
A
Pilgrim's Path: Freemasonry and the Religious Right by John J. Robinson /
Hardcover
The author of Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry describes
the history and principles of the world's largest secret society, and then takes
on those who have condemned it, refuting their fabrications and misstatements.
An eye-opening book for those interested in the mysteries of Freemasonry--and
disturbed by the rise of the Fundamentalist Right.
Ancient Freemasonry by Frank C. Higgins
A Radical in the East by S. Brent Morris, Iowa Research Lodge, 1993
Discusses myths and beliefs in our ritual system.
A Trilogy - Inner Journey to the East:
Meditations of a Master Mason Along the Way: and Masonry for the Millennium
by George R. Adams
Beneath the Stone by C. Gruce Hunter
Casting the First Stone by R. A. Gilbert
Early Masonic Pamphlets
by Early Masonic Pamphlets English Masonic Exposures 1760-1769 by A. C. F. Jackson, Lewis
Masonic, 1986
Includes full transcripts of Three Distinct Knocks, 1760; Jachin and
Boaz, 1762; and Shibboleth, 1765 and commentaries. Has been referred to
many times as possible references to early ritual work as there are no
official rituals from those days.
Freemasons' Guide and Compendium by Bernard E. Jones
A clear view of Speculative Masonry and its amazing growth.
Freemasonry and the Ancient Gods by JSM Ward
Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians
by Manly P. Hall Freemasonry Through Six Centuries,
(Two Vols.) by Henry Wilson Coil, 1966
Excellent study that traces the
Craft through many lands and over six hundred years.
Freemen & Freemasonry: a Masonic
Reader by James W. Beless
Principles of political and religious freedom as embodied by
Freemasons.
Grand Lodge 1717-1967 by United Grand Lodge of England,
Oxford Univ. Press, 1967.
Lessing's Masonic Dialogues by Gotthold Lessing,
Masonic Book Club, 1991
Serves as an excellent reference for his thinking in Germany at the
time he joined the Fraternity.
Light After Darkness by Chief Ranami Abah
Presented from an African perspective by a member of a Lodge warranted
by Grand Lodge of Scotland. Study of the Fraternity.
Living the Enlightenment:
Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Europe by Margaret Jacobs, Oxford Univ.
Press, 1991
An Excellent reference on some of Europe's early Freemasonry. A solid
history with many notes and references. Very valuable.
Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen,
1966 - Not a Masonic book but the story of the Constitutional Convention.
Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century by David Stevenson Pocket History
of Freemasonry by Knight and Smyth
Speculative Freemasonry & The
Enlightenment by R. William Weisberger
Speculative Masonry: Its Mission, Its
Evolution and Its Landmarks by A. S. MacBride, Macoy, 1924, 1971.
The Builders: A Story
and Study of Freemasonry by Joseph Fort Newton, McCoy Publishing Co.,
Richmond, 1914
An outstanding classic in Masonic literature offering the early history of
Freemasonry, interpretation, and prophecy and an exposition of the faith of Masonry.
Includes questions for study
The Byrom Collection: Renaissance Thought,
The Royal Society and The Building of the Globe Theatre by Joy Hancox,
Jonathan Cape, London, 1992
Great detail of the pre-Masonic ritual and life and can contribute to
those who feel that the Royal Society was the foundation from whence we
came. It contains much that would also contribute to why geometry may have
its position in our ritual.
The Collected Prestonian Lectures 1925-1960 by
Harry Carr,Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1967
The lectures are likely the most outstanding papers presented on the
history of the fraternity. 491 pages. Contemporary Masonic research in
England.
The
Concise History of Freemasonry by Robert F. Gould / Paperback
Contents: Ancient Mysteries, Essenes, Roman Colleges, Culders, Vehm-Gerichte,
Steinmetzen, French Corps D Etat, Companionage, Rosicrucians; Medieval Operative
Masonry; English Laws of the Middle Ages & the Freemasons; Story of the
Guild; Legend of the Craft; Early Scottish Craft; Great Division in English
Masonry; Concise Notice of the Additional Degrees Usually Worked; Freemasonry in
Europe; Asia, East India Islands, Far East, Africa, West Indies, Central &
South America; USA, Canada & Australaisa.
The Early French Exposures by Harry Carr, Quatuor
Coronati Lodge, 1971
488 pages. An excellent reference for students wishing to read about the history
of the early non-English rituals.
The Early History and Antiquities of
Freemasonry by George F. Fort The
Early Masonic Catechisms by Douglas Knoop, G. P. Jones, & Douglas Hamer,
1953, 1963
The Evolution of
Freemasonry by Delmar D. Darrah
The First Freemasons: Scotland's Early
Lodges and Their Members by David Stevenson, Aberdeen Univ.
Press., 1988
Detailed study of the first lodges in Scotland from study of the early
records of the lodges. Most of these lodges existed from records before
1598 when St. Clair organized a few of Scotland's earliest lodges and may
have built the organization that exists today.
The Freemason at Work by Harry Carr,1995 (Seventh
and Revised Ed.)
Masonic symbolism, ritual, and history carefully explained.
The Grand Design by Wallace McLeod, Anchor
Communications, Highland Springs, VA, 1991
Addresses articles on many aspects of Freemasonry including old charges
and why they are different.
The History of Freemasonry by John Hamill
The
History of Freemasonry: The Legendary Origins by Albert G. Mackey /
Hardcover
An in-depth study of one of the world's most controversial and select
organizations traces the history of Freemasonry, profiles some of its leading
members; and discusses its rituals and tenets. Beautifully bound with gold trim.
A true coffee table book.
The Medieval Mason by Knoop and
Jones
The Mystic Tie by Allen E. Roberts,, 1991
Covers many topics in Robert's style from history to current events.
The Pocket History of
Freemasonry by Fred L. Pick & G. Norman Knight, 1953.
The Queen's Chameleon by Joy Hancox
Discusses Lord Byron and his actions at the time of the beginning of
Freemasonry and his relations with the early Fraternity.
The Quest for Light by Wallace McLeod, 1997.
The
Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century, 1590-1710 by David Stevenson,
Cambridge Univ. Press, 1988
The question of Freemasonry's origins and history prior to the establishment of
the Grand Lodge of England in 1717 is such a morass of speculation, supposition,
and wishful thinking that professional historians - Stevenson included - feel
the need to justify their researches in this subject lest they be tainted by its
disrepute among their fellows. Against such a background this book really stands
out. Stevenson bases his research on actual records of almost a hundred Scottish
Masonic lodges that date from the 1600's, along with municipal records, other
guilds' records, diaries, and royal statutes.
The Rise and Development of Organized
Freemasonry by Roy a. Wells 1986.
The
Temple and the Lodge by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh (Contributor) /
Paperback
From the authors of the bestseller, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, comes a new
book on the origins of Freemasonry. Its mysterious beginnings in the fourteenth
century through currents of thought and political upheavals surrounding it in
seventeenth-and eighteenth-century Europe are charted. "Compelling...sane
and informed...Written with gripping academic-detective style."--TorontoStar.
36 black-and-white photographs.
Votaries of Honor.
Grimble, Ian, Robert Burns by Grand Lodge of the Philippines
Whither Are We Traveling? by Dwight L. Smith, 1962.
Working the Rough Stone: Freemasonry and
Society in Eighteenth-Century Russia by Douglas Smith, Northern Ill. Univ. Press, DeKalb,
1999.
Workman Unashamed by Christopher Haffner 1989.
World Freemasonry: An
Illustrated History by John Hamill & R. A. Gilbert, 1996
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