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Masonic Books A-G

Books by Author: A-G | Books by Author: H-M | Books by Author: N-Z

The Temple and the Lodge

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh
Coauthors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh recount the events that led to the strange and sudden disappearance of the Knights Templar in the fourteenth century and their reappearance in the court of excommunicate Scottish king Robert the Bruce. Following the survival of certain unexpected Templar traditions, the authors document the evolution of a world-changing order through the birth of the Masonic lodge. They chart the history of Freemasonry through its medieval roots and into the modern era

The Trial of the Templars

Malcolm Barber
Malcolm Barber’s classic The Trial of the Templars recounts the dramatic demise of this elite military force in the fourteenth century. Having fought against Islam in the crusades in the East for nearly two centuries, in October 1307 the members of this respected Order were arrested on the order of Philip IV, King of France, and charged with serious heresies, including homosexuality and the denial of Christ.

 

 

For the Good of the Order: Examining The Shifting Paradigm Within Freemasonry

John Bizzack, PhD.

What has transpired in North American Freemasonry since the 1960s has been influenced by not only factors external to the institution, but less obvious internal ones as well. To better understand where the Craft has been and where it will likely be in the future requires a balanced examination in context, a context wherein Freemasonry is viewed as a whole, not in fragments. For the Good of the Order examines the long-standing attitude regarding membership decline and lack of engagement by men who enter the West Gate with initial enthusiasm, but soon find their zeal for active involvement in the Fraternity waning. This panoramic view and examination illustrates that much of what the institution faces today and in the future regarding membership decline, is much more likely to be effectively addressed by what is often seen emerging in Masonry today around the country: a return to past traditions and practicing traditional Freemasonry in our lodges.

 

The New Knighthood

Malcolm Barber

A History of the Order of the Temple (Canto Classics) – The Order of the Temple, founded in 1119 to protect pilgrims around Jerusalem, developed into one of the most influential corporations in the medieval world. It has retained its hold on the modern imagination thanks to the dramatic events of the Templars’ trial and abolition two hundred years later, and has been invoked in historical mysteries from masonic conspiracy to the survival of the Turin shroud. Malcolm Barber’s lucid narrative separates myth from history in this full and detailed account of the Order, from its origins, flourishing and suppression to the Templars’ historic afterlife.

Revolutionary Brotherhood

Steven C. Bullock

Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840. In the first comprehensive history of the fraternity known to outsiders primarily for its secrecy and rituals, Steven Bullock traces Freemasonry through its first century in America. He follows the order from its origins in Britain and its introduction into North America in the 1730s to its near-destruction by a massive anti-Masonic movement almost a century later and its subsequent reconfiguration into the brotherhood we know today.

 

Handbook of Freemasonry (Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion)

Henrik Bogdan

The Brill Handbook of Freemasonry is a pioneering work that brings together, for the first time, leading scholars on Freemasonry-the largest, oldest, and most influential secret society in the world.

The Freethinking Freemason – Collected Masonic Works of Tim Bryce

Tim Bryce

The Freethinking Freemason offers sage advice on how to run a Masonic Lodge, editorials on the future direction of the fraternity, and stories aimed at entertaining Masons. Written by a veteran management consultant and Freemason who knows how to provoke thought and engage discussion. It is time well spent for any Mason concerned about the future of this ancient fraternity.

 

The Symbolism of Freemasonry – or Mystic Masonry

J.D. Buck

This is real Initiation: Becoming: At-one-ment. “There are thousands of Masons, who realize that Masonry contains and implies far more than appears in the ritual and ceremonies of the Lodge. There is a very widespread and growing interest in this direction, and it is this that Mystic Masonry, above all else, is designed to foster, encourage, and help.”

Freemason At Work

Harry Carr

This is one of the most successful Masonic Publications in recent times due to the immense knowledge of the late Harry Carr and his entertaining writing style. If you enjoy your masonry then this book will bring a new delight to all that you see and hear in lodge. When Harry Carr became secretary and editor of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of Research, the answering of lodge questions became a major part of his duties. In a style that became a hall mark of all his masonic writing, he always answered a little more than the original question. In response to hundreds of requests from all over the world, the answers he gave to questions during his twelve years office as editor of Quatuor Coronati Transactions have been collected together in this book.

 

The Masonic Letter G

Paul Foster Case

One of the best pocket primers on the esoteric side of Freemasonry. The work explores philosophically the depth and meaning of the letter at use between the Masonic Square and Compass.

The Master’s Book

Carl H Claudy

An excellent guide and must read for all Wardens and officers headed from West to East. This book is a timeless jewel for the upcoming Master of the Masonic Lodge.

 

 

The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, First Freemasons

Tobias Churton

In a breathtaking span of detailed research, Tobias Churton reveals, without resorting to mythology or pseudo-history, the most up-to-date knowledge on the development of Gnostic alchemy, the true origins of pre-Grand Lodge Freemasonry, and the mysterious Fraternity of the Rosy Cross (the Rosicrucians). Following the Hermetic spiritual and philosophical stream through 1,600 years of esoteric history, Churton introduces readers to great men of magic and wisdom—spiritual heroes and masters like Paracelsus, Caspar Schwenckfeld, Johann Valentin Andrae, and Elias Ashmole. The Golden Builders is an essential addition to any serious seekers’ library.

The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians: The World’s Most Mysterious Secret Society

Tobias Churton

For nearly 400 years, incredible myths and stories have been woven around the “invisible” Brothers of the Rose Cross, the Rosicrucians. It is said that they possessed the secret of man and God, that they could turn lead into gold, that they governed Europe in secret, that theirs was the true philosophy of Freemasonry, and that they could save–or destroy–the world. In The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians, Tobias Churton, a “perfected” Knight of the Rose Croix and the Pelican (18th degree, Ancient and Accepted Rite), presents the first definitive historical and philosophical view of this mysterious brotherhood.

 

Freemasonry – The Reality

Tobias Churton

This remarkable new book is about to bring the picture into focus in a way never before possible. Discover the true story of the world’s most influential brotherhood. Join the author on a journey into the mystical past that reveals the true source of Masonic wisdom. Discover the amazing world of the Alchemists, mystics and political visionaries who made the order what it is today. Discover the secret divine aim at the heart of Freemasonry and see the real meanings in the now completely misinterpreted rituals and symbols of the craft. Written by academic historian and Freemason Tobias Churton, this book will allow you to see the Masonic lodge and brotherhood in a completely new light.

The Magus of Freemasonry: The Mysterious Life of Elias Ashmole–Scientist, Alchemist, and Founder of the Royal Society

Tobias Churton

A comprehensive look at the life of Elias Ashmole, who represents the historic missing link between operative and symbolic Freemasonry. Ashmole (1617-1692) was the first to record a personal account of initiation into Accepted Freemasonry. His writings help solve the debate between operative and “speculative” origins of Accepted Freemasonry, demonstrating that symbolic Freemasonry existed within the Masonic trade bodies. Ashmole was one of the leading intellectual luminaries of his time: a founding member of the Royal Society, a fellowship and later academy of natural philosophers and scientists; alchemist; astrological advisor to the king; and the creator of the world’s first public museum. While Isaac Newton regarded him as an inspiration, Ashmole has been ignored by many conventional historians.

 

Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia

Henry Wilson Coil

Encyclopedia includes concordant orders throughout the world as well as the organizational structure in the US, discussing symbolism and entries on jurisprudence and history.

A Comprehensive View Of Freemasonry

Henry Wilson Coil

A brief but comprehensive view of Freemasonry from the earliest historical record to the present day.

 

The Rosslyn Hoax

Robert Cooper

Much has been written over the years about Rosslyn Chapel and its connection with Scottish Freemasonry, as well the St.Clair family, the Knights Templar and a variety of ‘lost treasures’. The author looks in depth at the validity of the published material and the legends associated with the Rosslyn Chapel exposing major differences between Scottish Freemasons’ view of their history and heritage and that described by those who are not Freemasons.

Cracking the Freemasons Code: The Truth About Solomon’s Key and the Brotherhood

Robert L.D. Cooper

Prompted by mounting public interest and provoked by controversial stories on the Freemason Society, respected historian and Scottish Freemason Robert L.D. Cooper offers a rare inside look at this secret brotherhood. As curator of the Scottish Masonic Museum and Library, the author has unparalleled access to material dictating the history and function of the Masons.

 

The Mason’s Words: The History and Evolution of the American Masonic Ritual

Davis, Robert G.

Freemasonry is entirely built around traditions. From time immemorial, those who have belonged to the world’s oldest and largest fraternal order have metaphorically passed between the pillars of Solomon’s Temple to nurture within themselves a harmonious bond between tradition and modernity. This is the story of the Masonic ritual, the language and ceremonial forms that have evolved into the present structure of American Freemasonry, defined its lodge space, and offered its members the same stabilizing influence of instruction that has prevailed on every continent for nearly 400 years. The reader will discover that the language of the world’s oldest fraternal society has also made its own interesting journey, and been tested by the most powerful and the most humbling of men.

Understanding Manhood in America

Davis, Robert G.

Two of the most important subjects that Davis discusses are those of marriage and fatherhood. The challenges and rewards of being a husband and a father are great. As Davis notes, too many of us had poor role models of what it means to be either a husband or a father. Rather than working on the issues that exist in these complex relationships, all too often men choose to simply walk away. Davis suggests this happens because these men are acting as they observed their fathers having acted. However, Davis is also quick to say that the modern man must rise above that if he is to grasp what it means to be a man. The road to the “mature masculine” is not the “easy road”; it is one of work, responsibility and perseverance.

 

Albert Pike’s Esoterika – The Symbolism of the Blue Degrees of Freemasonry

Albert Pike Edited by Arturo de Hoyos

The complete text of Albert Pike’s never-before-published esoteric study of the symbols of Blue Lodge Degrees. Subjects include “The Compasses and the Square,” “The Weapons and Blows of the Assassins,” “The Three Grips,” “The Substitute for the Masters Word,” “The 47th Problem of Euclid,” “The Truth,” “Is the Cable-tow a Symbol?,” “Corner Stones,” “The Ladder of Jacob,” “Tubal Cain,” “Shibboleth,” and “Solomon and Hiram.”

 

Committed to the Flames: The History and Rituals of a Secret Masonic Rite

Arturo de Hoyos

In 1826 Robert Benjamin Folger, a recent graduate of medical school and a new Master Mason, filled a book with the enciphered Craft rituals of the Rectified Scottish Rite, a high-grade revision of the rite of Strict Observance. well-known in Europe but unknown in the United States. His introduction directed that the rituals be “committed to the Flames” upon his death. Fortunatley for Masonic historians instructions were not followed. Folger went on to prepare at least two other books of rituals.

 

Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor & Guide

Arturo De Hoyos

The Supreme Council for England and Wales, like several other European Supreme Councils, confers only a handful of the 33 degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Rite. In the United States however, the entire series of degrees, from the 4°, Secret Master, through the 32°, Royal Secret, are commonly conferred. This comprehensive guidebook now makes the substance of the “missing degrees” known for the first time. It is the official monitor of the Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., the original creator of the Rose Croix system (called the “Scottish Rite” in America).

Is it True What They Say About Freemasonry? The Methods of Anti-Masons, Revised Edition

Arturo de Hoyos

For as long as there have been Freemasons, there has been a calculated effort to disparage and discredit them as well as their practices. But why does this incessant attack exist, and where does it originate from? In this insightful text, masons Arturo de Hoyos and S. Brent Morris explore the origins of the anti-Masonic mind-set and delve into the falsehoods on which critics have based these perennial sentiments. Confronting opponents one at a time, the authors methodically debunk the myths that have surrounded Freemasonry since its establishment, investigating the motives and misconceptions that drive these antagonists to spread deceit about Masonic traditions.

 

Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two Centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America’s Southern Jurisdiction

William L. Fox

First formed in Charleston, South Carolina, the Southern Jurisdiction of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite is now the largest and oldest group of Freemasons in the world. Its first institutional history provides a useful window on the influence of the Rite on American middle-class culture and the nation’s democratic, civic, and moral values.

Valley of the Craftsmen: A Pictorial History: Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America’s Southern Jurisdiction, 1801-2001

William L. Fox

A pictorial look at the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry; Founded in 1801, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is the premier international fraternal order of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. For more than two hundred years, Freemasonry in America helped define social and cultural arrangements that affected the development of civic life and philanthropic institutions. In Valley of the Craftsmen, the story of “higher degree” Freemasonry is depicted through portraits, official papers, material objects, photographs, buildings, and stagecraft. Featuring many previously unpublished images, Valley of the Craftsmen begins with rare illustrations of the English and French philosophical sources that were projected upon an American landscape vitalized and transformed by the concept of fraternity.