There is a need for a third edition of Essai sur les mystères. The first English translation (W.H. Reece, 1862) is long out of print and contains errors that may hinder readers’ comprehension of the anonymous 1771 letter it contains. This version, discovered in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Roma, has edits made to the French by an unknown editor in 1776, potentially making it more faithful to the original. The revisions range from minor corrections to significant changes, such as altering the recipient’s gender. However, the identity of the author and recipient may not be all that germane to the timeless message here: Freemasonry’s role as a society of symbolic philosophers who cultivate their minds, practice virtues, and engage in charity. Additionally, this work compares Freemasonry and ancient mystery groups, underscoring the importance of brotherhood, morality, and goodwill, and also addresses the deceitful attacks Masons have endured for centuries.
Tag: freemasonry
James Hoban’s Secret Society
James Hoban’s Secret Society is a pocket guide to Hoban’s fraternal legacy. This concise history delineates the opportunity and rise of a skilled immigrant craftsman in colonial America. Hoban’s family-centric approach to his work helped establish a tight-knit group of professional woodworkers who stayed with him throughout his entire career. Hoban’s work brought credibility and notoriety to the Irish Labor Movement of the 18th century.
Female Emancipation and Masonic Membership: An Essential Collection
Female Emancipation and Masonic Membership: An Essential Combination is a collection of essays on Freemasonry and gender that promotes a transatlantic discussion of the study of the history of women and Freemasonry and their contribution in different countries such as Cuba, Chile, France, Mexico, Spain, and the United States.
The Rosicrucian Philosophy in Questions and Answers
Rosicrucianism emerged in Europe possibly as early as the 1500s. It had numerous influences. As Michael Maier, a Rosicrucian described it, “Our origins are Egyptian, Brahminic, derived from the mysteries of Eleusis and Samothrace, the Magi of Persia, the Pythagoreans, and the Arabs.” During the 1600s, interest in it throughout Europe spread with the publication of numerous manifestos. Today, there are many groups of Rosicrucians including Masonic Rosicrucian organizations and Esoteric Christian Rosicrucians.
The Spirit Of Masonry
The author, William Hutchinson, F.A.S., passed away on 7th of April, 1814, at the age of 82, after a long career as an attorney, and as an author and devoted Freemason. He penned such works as A History of the County of Durham, A View of Northumberland, A History of Cumberland, and The Spirit of Masonry. He was a Member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries.
Freemasonry, Heir to the Enlightenment
Modern Freemasonry may have mythical roots in Solomon’s time but is really the heir to the Enlightenment. Ever since the early eighteenth century freemasons have endeavored to convey the values of the Enlightenment in the cultural, political and religious fields, in Europe, the American colonies and the emerging United States.
Grand Crosses of the Court of Honour: Concise Scottish Rite Biographical Dictionary
The Grand Crosses of the Court of Honour: Concise Scottish Rite Biographical Dictionary is a commemorative reference volume that provides a brief description about each Scottish Rite Brother awarded the highest honor bestowed by the Supreme Council, 33°.
Masonic Myths and Legends
The papers presented here represent over twenty-five years of publications by S. Brent Morris. They explore his many questions about Freemasonry, usually dealing with origins of the Craft.
A Radical In The East
The papers presented here represent over twenty-five years of publications by S. Brent Morris. They explore his many questions about Freemasonry, usually dealing with origins of the Craft.
Brought to Light: The Mysterious George Washington Masonic Cave
Purchase in greyscale | Purchase in color by Jason Williams MD The George Washington Masonic Cave near Charles Town, West Virginia, contains a signature carving of George Washington dated 1748. Although this inscription appears authentic, it has yet to be verified by historical accounts or scientific inquiry. Like all great legends, there is probably a… Continue reading Brought to Light: The Mysterious George Washington Masonic Cave
Washington and His Masonic Compeers
by Sidney Hayden Purchase As Sidney Hayden wrote of this work on George Washington and his Masonic pasts, “Biographies of Washington, and the most eminent of our countrymen who were contemporary with him, have been often written so far as relates to their public acts, and in many of them we have also a portraiture… Continue reading Washington and His Masonic Compeers
Storia del Grande Oriente d’Italia (Italian Edition)
by Emanuela Locci Purchase Questo volume è la traduzione italiana di un libro precedente nato con l’intento di colmare una lacuna bibliografica, infatti, fino alla sua pubblicazione non era presente nella letteratura massonica un libro che trattasse in maniera organica la storia della massoneria in Italia, scritto in inglese. Questo volume si proponeva di eliminare… Continue reading Storia del Grande Oriente d’Italia (Italian Edition)
Worlds of Print: The Moral Imagination of an Informed Citizenry, 1734 to 1839
by John Slifko Purchase Plato, Aristotle, Baron Montesquieu, and Jean Jacques Rousseau argued that you could never have a democracy bigger than the geographic size, intimate oral habits, and embodied rituals of face-to-face communication, and walking distance of a Greek city-state, French town, or small Swiss city. However, in the years surrounding the 1776 American… Continue reading Worlds of Print: The Moral Imagination of an Informed Citizenry, 1734 to 1839
Masonry and Protestantism
by Susanna Hopkins Mason Purchase Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a case in… Continue reading Masonry and Protestantism
Annals of the Hobby Club of New York City, 1912-1920
by New York Hobby Club Purchase In 1908, the Hobby Club was established as a gentlemen’s club. Planned to be a space for people to showcase their special interests, the “object of the Club shall be to encourage the collection of literary, artistic and scientific works; to aid in the development of literary, artistic and… Continue reading Annals of the Hobby Club of New York City, 1912-1920
Proceedings of the General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star at its Fourth Stated Meeting, August 17-23, 1883
by General Grand Chapter Purchase Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a case in… Continue reading Proceedings of the General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star at its Fourth Stated Meeting, August 17-23, 1883
An Address Delivered Before the Members of the Anti-Masonic State Convention: Assembled at Augusta, Maine, July 4, 1832
by Moses Thacher Purchase Moses Thacher was born on November 14, 795 in Princeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He was frustrated with the growing number of people involved with Freemasonry in his religious community. He felt the oats one swore as part of Masonic ritual were incompatible with religious doctrine. It became a serious issue for… Continue reading An Address Delivered Before the Members of the Anti-Masonic State Convention: Assembled at Augusta, Maine, July 4, 1832
History of Saint John’s Lodge of Boston
by Saint John’s Lodge Freemasons Purchase Saint John’s is the oldest lodge in the United States and its social history when fully written will be a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. Fraternal organizations like Saint John’s have impacted society for hundreds of years. Yet, over time research into… Continue reading History of Saint John’s Lodge of Boston
History of the Grand Orient of Italy
Emanuela Locci, Editor Purchase The initiative to write this volume comes from the need to fill a bibliographic gap: no book in Masonic literature upon the history of Italian Freemasonry has been edited in English up to now. Thus, it aims to cover this lack and to enter those scholars referring to the English idiom… Continue reading History of the Grand Orient of Italy
Ritual for Local Camps: Royal Neighbors of America, Auxiliary of the Modern Woodman of America
by Royal Neighbors of America Purchase The early members of the Society were ahead of their time. In addition to providing life insurance for women, they stood firmly behind the women’s suffrage movement. Royal Neighbors was also one of the first fraternal societies to insure children and recognize mortality studies establishing the fact that women… Continue reading Ritual for Local Camps: Royal Neighbors of America, Auxiliary of the Modern Woodman of America
History of the Fraternal Order of Eagles
by J. Fanning O’Reilly Purchase The Fraternal Order of Eagles is an international fraternal organization that was founded on February 6, 1898 in Seattle, Washington by a group of six theater owners. It was initially composed of those who worked within the performing arts. The first meetings were typically social gatherings held on theater stages.… Continue reading History of the Fraternal Order of Eagles
Why Thirty-Three?: Searching for Masonic Origins
by S. Brent Morris, PhD, Introduction by Wallace E. Boston, Jr. Purchase The papers presented here represent over twenty-five years of publications by S. Brent Morris. They explore his many questions about Freemasonry, usually dealing with origins of the Craft. What “high degrees” were in the United States before 1830? What were the activities in… Continue reading Why Thirty-Three?: Searching for Masonic Origins
Pioneering in Masonry: The Life and Times of Rob Morris, Masonic Poet Laureate, Together with the Story of Clara Barton and the Eastern Star
by Lucien V. Rule Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading Pioneering in Masonry: The Life and Times of Rob Morris, Masonic Poet Laureate, Together with the Story of Clara Barton and the Eastern Star
The Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry: As Connected with Ancient Norse Guilds, and the Oriental and Mediæval Building Fraternities
by George F. Fort Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading The Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry: As Connected with Ancient Norse Guilds, and the Oriental and Mediæval Building Fraternities
Foreign Freemasonry: Its Position vis-a-vis of Christianity and of Catholicity
by D. Moncrieff O’Connor Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading Foreign Freemasonry: Its Position vis-a-vis of Christianity and of Catholicity
The Masonic Genius of Robert Burns: An Address Delivered in Lodge “Quatuor Coronati,” 2076, 4th March, 1892
by Bro. Benjamin Ward Richardson Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is… Continue reading The Masonic Genius of Robert Burns: An Address Delivered in Lodge “Quatuor Coronati,” 2076, 4th March, 1892
Melodies for the Craft, or Songs for Freemasons Suitable for Every Occasion
by R. Fellow Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. One subject getting renewed attention is… Continue reading Melodies for the Craft, or Songs for Freemasons Suitable for Every Occasion
History of Freemasonry in England from 1567 to 1813
by Leon Hyneman Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a case… Continue reading History of Freemasonry in England from 1567 to 1813
A Place in the Lodge: Dr. Rob Morris, Freemasonry and the Order of the Eastern Star
by Nancy Stearns Theiss PhD Purchase through Amazon UPDATED EDITION Ridiculed as “petticoat masonry,” critics of the Order of the Eastern Star did not deter Rob Morris’ goal to establish a Masonic organization that included women as members. As Rob Morris (1818-1888) came “into the light,” he donned his Masonic apron and carried the ideals… Continue reading A Place in the Lodge: Dr. Rob Morris, Freemasonry and the Order of the Eastern Star
The Great Transformation: Scottish Freemasonry 1725-1810
by Dr. Mark C. Wallace Purchase through Amazon Modern Freemasonry emerged in Britain after 1700 as a prominent fixture in both British communal and social life. It combined earlier stonemason customs and methods of organization with the popular passion for clubs and societies. Some mocked Masonic lodges and their rituals, but they were an accepted… Continue reading The Great Transformation: Scottish Freemasonry 1725-1810
The 33 Principles Every Mason Should Live By: The True Meaning of Being a Mason
by C. Fred Kleinknecht Jr. Purchase through Amazon In 1947 Fred took a job at the House of the Temple, literally learning the Scottish Rite from the ground floor to eventually becoming Grand Commander. He was Grand Commander from October 23, 1985 to October 7, 2003. Fred wanted the organization to be “first class” in all… Continue reading The 33 Principles Every Mason Should Live By: The True Meaning of Being a Mason
Swiss Freemasonry: A Historical Sketch with Organization, Principles and Constitution
by Dr. Bernard Perrelet Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading Swiss Freemasonry: A Historical Sketch with Organization, Principles and Constitution
The History of the Order of the Eastern Star Among Colored People
by Mrs. S. Joe Brown Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is… Continue reading The History of the Order of the Eastern Star Among Colored People
Freemasonry, Politics and Rijeka (Fiume) (1785-1944)
by Ljubinka Toseva Karpowicz Purchase through Amazon LJUBINKA TOŠEVA KARPOWICZ studied sociology and later political science at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade. She received her Ph.D. from the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Ljubljana in 1987. She worked as a researcher in various institutes in Yugoslavia and… Continue reading Freemasonry, Politics and Rijeka (Fiume) (1785-1944)
Masonic Regularity and Recognition: A Global Issue
Roger Dachez, Introduction by Alain Bauer Purchase through Amazon “The issue of regularity and recognition in Freemasonry is examined here from a mainly French point of view, because France is essentially the only major Masonic country in the world where this debate is so complicated. However, in working to re-address the matter from this specific… Continue reading Masonic Regularity and Recognition: A Global Issue
Invasions of the Gulf: Radicalism, Ritualism and the Shaikhs
by Paul Rich Purchase through Amazon The Gulf was ruled for a good part of the 19th and 20th centuries from India, and those who served there constituted a unique, small foreign service of their own. Their public (private boarding in American usage) school backgrounds taught them to believe in elitism and snobbery, which they… Continue reading Invasions of the Gulf: Radicalism, Ritualism and the Shaikhs
Masonic Regularity
by Alain Bernheim Purchase through Amazon Alain Bernheim was born in Paris on May 23, 1931. At twelve he was interned in Drancy under Occupied France. After World War II was over, Bernheim studied at the National Music Conservatory of Paris, and became the first French Fulbright scholar sent to the United States, where he… Continue reading Masonic Regularity
Getting the Third Degree: Fraternalism, Freemasonry and History
Editors: Guillermo De Los Reyes and Paul Rich Purchase through Amazon Possibly the most international and diverse scholarly conference on fraternalism and freemasonry is the one held in Paris in the spring every two years at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and hosted by Westphalia Press and the Policy Studies Organization. Scholars come from around… Continue reading Getting the Third Degree: Fraternalism, Freemasonry and History
Dudley Wright: Writer, Truthseeker & Freemason
by John Belton Purchase through Amazon Dudley Wright (1868-1950) was an Englishman who took a universalist approach to the various great Truths of Life, he travelled though many religions in his life and wrote about them all, but was probably most at home with Islam. As a professional journalist he made his living where he… Continue reading Dudley Wright: Writer, Truthseeker & Freemason
An Introduction to the Formation of Freemasonry in the United States of America: The Constellation of the Brotherhood
by Larissa P. Watkins Purchase through Amazon The Constellation of the Brotherhood is another stellar reference resource by bibliographer Larissa Watkins. It encompasses the developmental history of the Grand Masonic Bodies in the United States for each state… It will be a boon to researchers, Masonic libraries as well as public and university libraries and… Continue reading An Introduction to the Formation of Freemasonry in the United States of America: The Constellation of the Brotherhood
A General Register of all the Lodges and Grand Lodges of Freemasons: in North America
by J. Fletcher Brennan Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading A General Register of all the Lodges and Grand Lodges of Freemasons: in North America
A Dictionary of Secret and Other Societies
by Arthur Preuss Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a case… Continue reading A Dictionary of Secret and Other Societies
A Historical Account of Columbian Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Boston
by John T. Heard Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a… Continue reading A Historical Account of Columbian Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Boston
The Unparalleled Sufferings of John Coustos: The Cruel Tortures to Extract the Secrets of Freemasonry
by John Coustos Purchase through Amazon Social history as a corrective to a historiography is often too limited to diplomacy and wars. It began an upward trajectory as early as the 1930s, but it remains constrained by the frustrating cost and availability of materials that even great research libraries lack. This volume is a case… Continue reading The Unparalleled Sufferings of John Coustos: The Cruel Tortures to Extract the Secrets of Freemasonry
History of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers of the City of London: Otherwise the Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass
by Charles Henry Ashdown Purchase through Amazon Despite the name, The City of London is only a small part of metropolitan London, and is further unique in that it boasts of its own government. This centers on the ancient companies, or guilds, which in the Middle Ages held sway over the various crafts—fish mongering, goldsmithing,… Continue reading History of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers of the City of London: Otherwise the Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass
Freemasonry: A French View
by Roger Dachez and Alain Bauer Purchase through Amazon Perhaps one should speak not of Freemasonry but of Freemasonries in the plural. In each country Masonic historiography has developed uniqueness, but it is safe to say that one of the highest levels of scholarship has been in France. This book is a case in point, as… Continue reading Freemasonry: A French View
Freemasonry in the Holy Land, or, Handmarks of Hiram’s Builders
by Robert Morris, LLD. Purchase through Amazon In 1868, Robert Morris (1818-1888), a sometime grand master of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky and founder of the Order of the Eastern Star, gathered a group of Masons for Secret Monitor ceremonies in a cave in King Solomon’s Quarries in Jerusalem. Building on that, Morris obtained a… Continue reading Freemasonry in the Holy Land, or, Handmarks of Hiram’s Builders
Manual of the Eastern Star: Containing the Symbols, Scriptural Illustrations, Lectures, etc. Adapted to the System of Speculative Masonry
by Robert Macoy Purchase through Amazon The secret cyphers and ritual books of the Eastern Star as well as of other fraternal societies inevitably make their way to the shelves of antiquarian book dealers. Efforts to get families to return documents and regalia when a member dies are more often than not end in frustration.… Continue reading Manual of the Eastern Star: Containing the Symbols, Scriptural Illustrations, Lectures, etc. Adapted to the System of Speculative Masonry
Elixir of Empire: The English Public Schools, Ritualism, Freemasonry, and Imperialism
by P. J. Rich Purchase through Amazon A companion volume, Chains of Empire: English Public Schools, Masonic Cabalism Historical Causality, and Imperial Clubdom, is the second in P. J. Rich’s trilogy about schooling as a political force. Explored are the ways in which the history of education contributes to political science, and the problems facing… Continue reading Elixir of Empire: The English Public Schools, Ritualism, Freemasonry, and Imperialism
Chains of Empire: English Public Schools, Masonic Children, Historical Causality, and Imperial Clubdom
by P. J. Rich Purchase through Amazon | Purchase through CreateSpace The British Empire’s and the English public schools’ peculiar system of rituals and rewards had more in common than has been realized. In Chains of Empire, Paul Rich related this to controversies about historical causality, morphic resonance, chaos, and the claims to influence of… Continue reading Chains of Empire: English Public Schools, Masonic Children, Historical Causality, and Imperial Clubdom
Westphalia Press 