Book discusses theorized connections between Jack the Ripper, freemasonry

My friend Gilbert Harden of Evergreen loaned me a really cool book recently called “101 Secrets of the Freemasons: The Truth Behind the World’s Most Mysterious Society.”

Written by Barb Karg and John K. Young, this 256-page book on freemasonry was published in August 2009. It’s jam-packed with information and touches on scores of Masonic topics, including the origins of freemasonry, the Knights Templar, the Crusades, Jacque de Molay, the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the history of the Grand Lodge of England, freemasonry in Colonial America, the William Morgan scandal and famous Masons.

I especially enjoyed the sections that dealt with the theories that connect freemasonry with the Jack the Ripper murders, which occurred in London’s Whitechapel district in 1888. I’ve always considered myself an armchair “Ripperologist,” and some of the theories out there linking the fraternity and Jack the Ripper are interesting. For the record, most experts think there is no connection whatsoever. It’s still interesting to read about nonetheless.

The book’s most interesting feature is its “Appendix A” in which the authors provide readers with a great recommended reading list that includes 31 books and one magazine article. I’ve read a few of the books on the list already and there are more than a few on the list that I’ve been meaning to read for some time.

What follows is the complete recommended reading list from the back of “101 Secrets of the Freemasons.”

1. “The Book of Hiram: Freemasonry, Venus and the Secret Key to the Life of Jesus” by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas (2003)

2. “Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry” by John J. Robinson (1989)

3. “The Brotherhood: The Secret World of the Freemasons” by Stephen Knight (1986)

4. “The Builders” by Joseph F. Newton (1973)

5. “Clausen’s Commentaries on Morals and Dogma” by Henry C. Clausen (1974, 1976)

6. “Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia” by Henry Wilson Coil (1996)

7. “The Complete Jack the Ripper” by Donald Rumbelow (1975)

8. “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown (2003)

9. “A Dictionary of Freemasonry” by Robert Macoy (2000)

10. “Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol” by Kirk MacNulty (1991)

11. “Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science” by Robert Lomas (2003)

12. “Freemasonry in American History” by Allen E. Roberts (1985)

13. “The Freemasons: A History of the World’s Most Powerful Secret Society” by Jasper Ridley (1999, 2001)

14. “Freemasons: Inside the World’s Oldest Secret Society” by Paul Jeffers (2005)

15. “The Hiram Key” by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas (1996)

16. “The History of Freemasonry: Its Legendary Origins” by Albert G. Mackey (1966)

17. “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” by Michael Baigent and Henry Lincoln (1983)

18. “Inside the Brotherhood: Further Secrets of the Freemasons” by Martin Short (1990)

19. “Introduction to Freemasonry I: Entered Apprentice” by Carl H. Claudy (1931)

20. “Introduction to Freemasonry II: Fellowcraft” by Carl H. Claudy (1931)

21. “Introduction to Freemasonry III: Master Mason” by Carl H. Claudy (1931)

22. “Is It True What They Say about Freemasonry” by Arturo de Hoyos and S. Brent Morris (2004)

23. “Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution” by Stephen Knight (1976)

24. “Living the Enlightenment: Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Europe” Margaret Jacob (1991)

25. “Mackey’s Revised Encyclopedia of Freemasonry” (1912)

26. “Morals and Dogma” by Albert Pike (2004)

27. “Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper – Case Closed” by Patricia Cornwell (2003)

28. “The Regius Manuscript” by Frederick M. Hunter (1952)

29. “The Revolutionary Transformation of American Freemasonry, 1752-1792” by Stephen C. Bullock (William and Mary Quarterly 37, 1990)

30. “Sacred Sites of the Knights Templar” by John K. Young (2003)

31. “The Secret History of Freemasonry: Its Origins and Connection to the Knights Templar” by Paul Naudon (1991)

32. “Uriel’s Machine” by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas (2001)

In the end, I enjoyed reading “101 Secrets of the Freemasons.” How many of you have read this book? What did you think about it? How many of the books on the recommended reading list have you read? Which would you recommend? Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.