Customer Reviews

Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a Mason, I am always interested in learning more about the "craft". This book is an interesting, well written description of Freemasonry.

It covers the history of Masonry, from the operative lodges of the middle ages to the modern lodge as we know it today.

The chapters on the role of Freemasonry in the founding of this country, detailing the Masonic lives of Ben Franklin and George Washington, was particularly interesting and the book did an excellent job of describing some of the terms I've heard used but was unclear of. Mainly of the "Moderns" and "Ancients" branches of Freemasonry.

I would have given it 5 stars except it was a little unclear on the terms of Scottish and Ancient York Rite he threw around describing the origins of the Fraternity.

Overall this is an excellent, well written book. It would be a great addition to any brother's Masonic library, or a book for the curious folk wanting to learn more about the great institution of Freemasonry.

After reading all the great customer reviews here, I thought I'd check this book out. It was disappointing, to say the least. Sure, the author goes into the history of the secret society, starting with the construction of King Solomon's temple. But none of this is new. I've read books on the Knights Templar that present the same history in a much more interesting way.

This book is very dry and uninteresting. At times it became hard to follow, because the author kept moving back and forth chronologically, sometimes repeating the same story in different chapters. And if you're looking for "secrets" of the Masons, forget it. I feel I know as much now about the Freemasons as I did before I started reading this book.

This book does not contain much that hasn't already been exhausted in previous books. I read this book the day after finishing Jasper Ridley's volume on Freemasonry, and it seems like the author of this book (for the most part) paraphased Ridley. I recommend Ridley's book. Also, there are some incorrect statements- one being that the eligible age of joining DeMolay is 13. The correct age is 12. That was not well researched. A simple visit to demolay.org would have fixed that problem. As a senior DeMolay and Master Mason, I prefer reading books on Masonry by Masons. Among the great authors are S. Brent Morris, W.L. Wilmshurst, and Allen Roberts. Also recommended are the books by John J. Robinson, who became a mason shortly after writing his 3 books on Freemasonry.

Like many before me who have writen reviews on this book I to am a mason and I found this book extreemely useful in my studies.
If you are a Mason, wishing to become a Mason, or just plain curious then I higly recomend this book.

Jeffers does a nice job of recounting the history of Freemasonry. Although not a Mason himself, Jeffers presents a fair and balanced study, frequently citing prominent Masonic writers. A must read for any Mason.

Though never a member of any fraternity,I have always had a passing interest in what they were all about.The author claims that the Freemasons are the world's oldest secret society.Whether that be true or not;it has existed for a very long time in one form or another. He makes a good attempt to trace it roots back to the building of Solomon's Temple.With all that has happened since that time,all the histories that have been written,all the organizations that have existed,and on and on;it is unlikely that complete agreement on all the history of the Freemasons will ever be resolved.Heck,the author shows that even the Freemasons have widely different views. What we seem to find is that there were organizations from Solomon's time and probably even before,and without doubt organizations of Masons exist today;how they got from there to here is intriguing.
I have read quite a bit of history,from Ancient times to the present and Masons,Templars or whatever form or organization was involved at any particular time;there is little doubt that they existed and played important parts in all areas of history.Remember, it is the people who belonged to them is what was important;even moreso than the organization itself.
Yes,they are a secret organization,not unlike many others. Yes,there are many things said about them,both good and bad.Yes ,they have been maligned and persecuted by just about every country and organization imaginable.All one can really say about that is;"Well,join the club!"
The author has set out to show as fairly as possible the history,aims and whatnot and ,rather than make any judgements,leaves the reader to make up his own mind as what to make of it all.
Quite honestly,I didn't think he exposed any sinister secrets. He shows that the Freemasons had major involvement in the development of the United States and Canada.Whether you look at Political leaders,businessmen,Scientists,Mosicians,leaders in the Arts,Medicine,Generals or any other walks of life;you will find men who believed in God,and wanted to do all they were able to serve their country and fellow men.Of course,this was not only true of Freemasons;many other people and organizations had similar aims and also were subjected to similat persecutions and misrepresentations.
If one reads this book with an open mind ,one would come to the same conclusion as did Abraham Lincoln did in my title.
Organizations,down through the ages,with the highest of principles and aspirations ,have had problems with human failings amongst its members,and have been maligned for all kinds of reasons; The Freemasons seem to be no different.
I thought the list of Famous Masons the author provided shows that Freemasonry counts some of the finest people who made tremendous contributions in the development of the United States and Canada.
Maybe we are all better off by thinking about what these people said,believed and how they led their lives;rather than looking for something sinister in the organization. This applies to many other fine organizations as well,and I doubt that any of those Famous Masons listed would disagree.

Ever since reading DA VINCI CODE, I've wanted to read more about Freemasonry. This book offers a wealth of information on the subject and is written in a very entertaining way--not scholarly at all. Highly recommended.

This book has a lot of information-it just seems almost every sentence is filled with a quote somebody else wrote. It is just a little hard for me to follow.

I picked up this book because I'd read that Dan Brown's next novel is about the Freemasons and I wanted to get a headstart. I was not disappointed. It's a terrific read about the Freemasons--the oldest and most secretive of the world's secret societies--and what goes on behind their closed doors.

Before I get to the subject matter, I must say that this book definitely should have been edited much better. There are small, but distracting mistakes quite often. Secondly, the way this college professor cites his sources is disappointing. It is difficult to find where he gets what from unless he comes out and says the author's name in the text, which is not incredibly often. If his "Titles for further reading" in the back is his bibliography, 17 sources from the same publisher? I agree with one of the other reviews. There is not much here that I haven't heard already. It is a wonderful book for beginners who have no clue what masons say about their own organization or if one wants masonic gossip. Personally I would have enjoyed a more balanced book. Why not get perspectives from those masons who have quit the order? Instead of spending gross amounts of time on telling us names of people who were masons and showing us small insignificant branches, why not ellaborate on groups like the illuminati? Thats a pretty major group not even touched. It might be more controversial? This book pits the gossip of ages against what well-rehearsed masons say about it. It doesn't give any well-thought-out arguments against masonry any real heed. It would just be nice to get an honest discourse instead of this off kilter type of research.