BOOK REVIEWS - Among The Best

Jim Tresner, 33°, Grand Cross
Book Reviews Editor
Scottish Rite Journal

Seems to me you’ve heard this song before; it’s from an old familiar score....” But, as some of our younger Scottish Rite Masons pointed out to me during the recent Scottish Rite Leadership Conferences, new Masons join the Rite all the time. Those who have joined recently, of course, weren’t receiving the Journal prior to their membership. Several Brethren asked for a list of good Masonic books with ordering information. Thus this column and its listing of those works I consider among the best available on Freemasonry. I’ve tried to list the least expensive source for purchasing the books. The notes on each are necessarily brief, but all of the publications are good. Some are hardbound, others softbound.

NOTE: Several of these books are listed as purchasable from the Southern California Lodge of Research because they have excellent prices and you do not have to be a member to order the books. To save space, I’ll just give the address here and put the note SCRL with the review:

Southern California Research Lodge
P.O. Box 939, Ashland, OR 97520-0032.
Tel. 541-488-8788, Fax 541-488-8789

Shipping and handling is $1.75 for the first book ordered, 50¢ for each additional book.

Also, the Masonic Service Association has some great material. Order from:

Masonic Service Association
8120 Fenton Street, Silver Spring MD 20910-4785
Tel. 301-588-4010, Fax 301-608-3457
E-mail: msana@ix.netcom.com

Postage is $2.50 for orders up to a total of $5.00; $4.50 for orders from $5.01 to $10.00 or more. Masonic Service Association offerings will be noted as MSA.

And many important books are available from The Supreme Council. Those books can be ordered from:

Grand Executive Director
The Supreme Council, 33°
1733 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009-3103
Tel. 202-232-3579, ext. 36
Fax 202-387-1843

VISA and MasterCard are accepted.

Offerings will be noted as SCSJ.

GENERAL

The Builders, by Rev. Joseph Fort Newton. Some of the most beautiful writing about Masonry ever published, a treat to read.
$15.60 SCRL

The Freemason at Work, by Harry Carr. Great book, with more than 200 questions and answers by an outstanding Masonic scholar. Written for English Masons, but applies to American Masonry as well.
$21.30 SCRL

Allied Masonic Groups and Rites, (booklet). A handy quick guide to many of the Masonic organizations in the United States. Order #204
$1.50 MSA

The Grand Design, by Wallace McLeod. Highly readable essays by one of the most important Masonic scholars in North America.
$14.35 SCRL

Artifacts and Gadgets, (booklet). Descriptions and photographs of Masonic watches, china, etc. Useful to the collector or the person interested in the physical culture of Masonry. Order #263
$1.50 MSA

Masonic Trivia and Facts, by Allen E. Roberts. More than 600 questions and answers.
15.16 SCRL

A Pilgrim’s Path, Freemasonry and the Religious Right, by John J. Robinson. An outstanding book by one of Free-masonry’s foremost defenders. Good to give to non-Mason friends.
$14.36 SCRL

Prince Hall Masonic Quiz Book, by Joseph A. Walkes, Jr. A good and easy way to learn more about Prince Hall Masonry.
$9.60 SCRL

A Bridge to Light, by Dr. Rex R. Hutchens. Provides a clearer explanation of the meanings of the Scottish Rite Degrees.
Softbound $10.00; Hardbound $25.00 SCSJ

A Glossary to Morals and Dogma, by Dr. Rex R. Hutchens. An essential companion to reading Pike’s great work.
Hardbound $15.00 SCSJ

SYMBOLISM

The Craft and Its Symbols, by Allen E. Roberts. An essential book for Masons, non-Masons, and Candidates. It belongs on every Masonic bookshelf, no matter how small.
Dirt cheap at $6.60 SCRL

Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbolism, by W. Kirk MacNulty. A beautiful book with many full-color illustrations. Also contains some excellent analysis of the first three Degrees.
$12.76 SCRL

Sources of Masonic Symbolism, by Alex Horne. Shows the sources from which much Masonic icono-graphy comes. Interesting and easy to read.
$10.00 SCRL

There Is No Sin in Symbols, (booklet). Discusses the nature of symbolism and Masonic symbolism in particular. Useful to give to non-Masons.
Order #BL201 25¢ MSA

Pillars of Wisdom: The Writings of Albert Pike, by Dr. Rex R. Hutchens. A fine collection of essays which organizes Pike thoughts by topic rather than Degree. First rate.
Softbound $10.00; Hardbound $15.00 SCSJ

Vistas of Masonry in Language, Symbolism and History, by Raymond B. Pease. (Booklet) Perhaps my favorite MSA publication. The historic significance of Masonic language.
Order #242 $2.50 MSA

FREEMASONRY & RELIGION

Fundamentalism and Freemasonry: The Southern Baptist Investigation of the Fraternal Order, by the Rev. Dr. Gary Leazer. The Southern California Research Lodge calls this “one of the most important books of our time.” I certainly agree. This is the information the leadership of the SBC tried to suppress.
$15.96 SCRL

The Clergy and the Craft, by the Rev. Dr. Forrest D. Haggard. One of America’s leading clergymen, and a Past Grand Master of Kansas, shares his views on Masonry and religion.
$8.00 SCRL

Get a Life: Thoughts on Freemasonry and Religion, (booklet). Information about the relationship of the fraternity and religion.
Order #BL-203 60¢ MSA

Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry? The Methods of Anti-Masons, by Art DeHoyos and Dr. S. Brent Morris. First-rate discussion about the truths ignored by anti-Masonic claims.
$7.50 MSA or SCSJ

FREEMASONRY & SOCIETY

Freemasonry in American History, by Allen E. Roberts. Traces Free-masonry’s involvement in the United States.
$15.60 SCRL

Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle: Two Centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America’s Southern Jurisdiction, by Dr. William L. Fox. Excellent history of The Supreme Council with parallels in contemporaneous American history. A must-read for all Masons.
$35.00 SCSJ

Living the Enlightenment: Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Europe, by Margaret Jacob. A wonderful book, giving great insight by an outstanding historian into the way Masonry reflected and helped to spread the Enlightenment’s essential concepts of human freedom and the dignity of the individual.
$17.56 SCRL

Masonic Philanthropies, A Tradition of Caring, second edition, by Dr. S. Brent Morris. A comprehensive compilation of contemporary Masonic charity and a source of pride to all Masons.
$5.00 SCSJ

Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order 1730-1840, by Steven C. Bullock. An essential book. An academician and historian investigates the role of Freemasonry in early America.
$39.96 SCRL

Cornerstones of Freedom, A Masonic Tradition, by Dr. S. Brent Morris. Special emphasis on the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol, but a good overall treatment of Masonic cornerstones.
Softbound $8.00; Hardbound $12.00 SCSJ

Freemasonry and Democracy: It’s Evolution in North America, by Allen E. Roberts and Wallace McLeod. The role played by Masonry in establishing democracy in both the United States and Canada.
Order #285 $6.00 MSA

MASONIC BIOGRAPHY

Rudyard Kipling: Man, Poet, Mason, by John Webb. $10.50 SCRL

William Preston and His Work, by Colin Dyer. $11.15 SCRL

A Life of Albert Pike, by Dr. Walter Lee Brown. $35.00 SCSJ

Famous American Freemasons, Order #219 $2.00 MSA

Priest and Freemason: The Life of George Oliver, by Richard Sandbach. $21.95 SCRL

Paul Revere and Freemasonry, by Edith Steblecki. $6.00 SCRL

Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument, by Jim Tresner. $12.00 SCSJ

G. Washington, Master Mason, by Allen E. Roberts. $9.20 SCRL

Masonic Membership of the Founding Fathers, by Ronald E. Heaton. Order #238 $3.75 MSA

Brother Truman, by Allen E. Roberts. $11.60 SCRL