I finished reading “Freemasons: A History and Explanation of the World’s Oldest Secret Society” by H. Paul Jeffers the other day, and I enjoyed it for its in-depth look into the history of freemasonry.Published by Citadel Press in 2005, this book “delves into Masonic history to reveal the surprising and controversial truths behind this ancient and secretive order, from its mystery-shrouded origins in medieval Europe through its rise in America, where Benjamin Franklin founded the first lodge.”
Other topics covered in this 237-page book include architectural symbolism, Masonic rings, freemasonry and religion, women and freemasonry, “Anti-masons,” African American masonry, myths and conspiracy theories, the Knights Templar, freemasonry’s origins in America, freemasonry during the Civil War, Mozart and freemasonry, theories about Jack the Ripper and freemasonry, Masonic songs, Rudyard Kipling (aka, “The Poet of Freemasonry") as well as a nine-page list of famous masons.
This book also included an outstanding list of books for further reading. Books on that list included:
- “Antiquity of the Holy Royal Arch” by F. De P. Castells (2003)
- “Apron: Its Tradition, History and Secret Significances” by Frank C. Higgins (1997)
- “Beginnings of Freemasonry in America” by Melvin M. Johnson (1999)
- “Birth and Growth of the Grand Lodge of England, 1717 to 1926” by Gilbert W. Daynes (2003)
- “Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry” by John J. Robinson (1989)
- “The Brotherhood: The Secret World of the Freemason” by Stephen Knight (1985)
- “Cathedral Builders: The Story of a Great Masonic Guild” by Leader Scott (1899)
- “Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia” by Henry Wilson Coil (1995)
- “The Complete Jack the Ripper” by Donald Rumbelow (1975)
- “Darkness Visible” by Walton Hannah (1952)
- “The Degrees and Great Symbols of Masonry” by Joseph F. Newton (1992)
- “A Dictionary of Freemasonry” by Robert Macoy (1989)
- “Discrepancies of Freemasonry” by George Oliver (2003)
- “Duncan’s Masonic Ritual and Monitor” by Malcolm C. Duncan (1976)
- “An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry” by Albert G. Mackey (1966)
- “Facts about George Washington As a Freemason” by J. Hugo Tatsch (1931)
- “The Facts of the Masonic Lodge” by John Ankerberg and John Weldon (1958)
- “Freemasonry: A Journey through Ritual and Symbol” by W. Kirk MacNulty (1991)
- “Freemasonry and Its Ancient Mystic Rites” by C.W. Leadbeater (1986)
- “Freemasonry in the American Revolution” by Sidney Morse (1992)
- “Freemasonry: The Invisible Cult in Our Midst” by Jack Harris (1987)
- “Freemasonry: The Phenomenon of Freemasonry” by Alexander Piatigorsky (2000)
- “The Freemasons: A History of the World’s Most Powerful Secret Society” by Jasper Ridley (2001)
- “Freemasons at Gettysburg” by Sheldon A. Munn (1993)
- “A History of Freemasonry” by H.L. Haywood (2003)
- “History of Freemasonry: Its Antiquities, Symbols, Constitutions, Customs, etc.” by Robert Freke Gould (1886)
- “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh (1982)
- “House Undivided: The Story of Freemasonry and the Civil War” by Allen E. Roberts (1961)
- “Illustrations of Masonry by One of the Fraternity Who Has Devoted 30 Years to the Subject” by William Morgan (1827)
- “Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution” by Stephen Knight (1986)
- “Look to the East!: A Ritual of the First Three Degrees of Freemasonry” by Ralph P. Lester (1998)
- “Masonic Ritual: A Commentary of the Freemason Ritual” by E.H. Cartwright (1947)
- “The Meaning of Masonry” by W.L. Wilmhurst (1927)
- “Military Lodges: The Apron and the Sword of Freemasonry under Arms” by Robert Freke Gould (2003)
- “Morals and Dogmas of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry” by Albert Pike (2002)
- “A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry” by Arthur Edward Waite (1970)
- “Origin of Freemasonry and Knight Templar” by John Bennett (1997)
- “Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840” by Steven C. Bullock (1988)
- “A Short Masonic History Being an Account of the Growth of Freemasonry and Some of the Earlier Secret Societies” by Frederick Armitage (2003)
- “Speculative Masonry” by A.S. Macbride (2003)
- “Symbolism of King Solomon’s Temple” by T. DeWitt Peake (2003)
- “Templars: The Dramatic History of the Knights Templar, the Most Powerful Military Order of the Crusades” by Piers Paul Read (2001)
- “The Temple and the Lodge” by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh (1989)
- “What Masonry Is and Its Objects: Ancient Ideals in Modern Masonry” by Albert Pike (1919)
In addition to these books, a number of other books were mentioned in other portions of the book. Books mentioned in the book’s text included:
- “An Account of the Savage Treatment of Captain William Morgan” by Edward Giddins
- “The Assassination of Mozart” by David Weiss
- “The Brotherhood and the Manipulation of Society” by Ivan Frazer and Mark Beeston
- “Craft, Morgan and Anti-Masonry” by John C. Palmer
- “Elements of Geometry” by Euclid
- “Freemasonry and the Future” by David F. Coady
- “The Freemason’s Monitor” by Thomas Smith Webb
- “History of Art” by H.B. Cotterill
- “History of Free Masonry” by Alexander Lawrie
- “Illustrosions of Masonry” by William Preston
- “Jack the Ripper: The Complete Casebook” by Donald Rumbelow
- “The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett
- “Manual of the Lodge” by Albert G. Mackey
- “Mein Kampf” by Adolph Hitler
- “New Ahiman Rezon” by John K. Read
- “The New World Order” by Pat Robertson
- “Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed” by Patricia Cornwell
- “The Temple or the Tomb” by Sir Charles Warren
- “Under Jerusalem” by Sir Charles Warren
In the end, I really enjoyed reading the “Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World’s Oldest Secret Society,” and I’m looking forward to reading some of the books Jeffers referenced between its covers.
Have any of you had the chance to read this book or any of the others mentioned above? If so, what did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.
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