The History of Freemasonry: Its Legendary Origins (Hardcover)

by Albert Mackey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An in-depth study of one of the world's most controversial and secretive organizations traces the history of Freemasonry, from its founding in ancient biblical times to the present; profiles some of its leading members; and discusses its rituals and tenets.

About the Author

Albert Mackey was an American medical doctor and a Freemason who served in several leadership capacities. He wrote several books and articles on the organization.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details Hardcover: 480 pages Publisher: Gramercy (June 7, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0517149826 ISBN-13: 978-0517149829 Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 1.5 inches Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #91 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Freemasonry

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Look Inside This Book

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover

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Citations (learn more)

3 books cite this book:

• The Stuart Court in Rome: The Legacy of Exile (Visual Arts Research Institute Edinburgh) by Edward T. Corp on page 109
• The Stargate Conspiracy: The Truth about Extraterrestrial life and the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt by Lynn Picknett in Back Matter
• The Witches' Craft: The Roots of Witchcraft & Magical Transformation by Raven Grimassi in Back Matter

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (5) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 3.5 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Research Book of Freemasonry, January 28, 2001 By  Graham Douglas Lincoln "The Truth is Absolute... (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews    The History of Freemasonry is clouded with time, personal prejudice, suppression and many other factors. Yet, men like Mackey lay the paver-stones for the path of self-discovery amongst Masons. He gave many years of his life to this research and the book is well-worth every year he spent in dusty libraries, to produce this work. The beginnings of this book contain very archaic language, but the struggle is worth the time given to study. It seems that most books are a variation of this material, or refer to this material. Whether it is "the definitive history of Freemasonry," or not, is up to debate.... However, it is hard to appreciate NEW findings, without refering to books such as this one, to understand how much of the mass-market material is "accurate" or, at-least, Inspired-by well-documented research. I would expect to see this one on every Mason's bookshelf, but Anyone can appreciate the complex "History of Freemasonry." 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, December 9, 1998 By  [e-mail] Brother John Nagy (PA) - See all my reviews This book was a truly enchanting read. I thought that Brother Mackey's dissection of what is legend and what is fact was remarkable. You can tell by reading this book that a tremendous amount of research went into his works. Bro. Mackey takes the various manuscripts and theories that were written since the conception of the Craft and ingeniously and deliberately uncovers there true meanings. A true work of art for the Masonic Student... 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Not a history but a compilation of legends, December 4, 1998 By A Customer It is true that this book delves into every single known legend concerning the origin of Freemasonry and concludes that each and every one is unprovable. It is also true that the author's style of writing is victorian and dated. The binding is also eye catching and makes the book look bizarre. But, this book does have a useful value to those interested in Freemasonry. While it does say that no evidence can be found to support any of the legends of the origins of "The Craft", it does manage to list all the known legends and recount them in detail. Consequently, the book is useful as a compilation of legends, which were created by individuals at different places and times to suit different purposes. "The History of Freemasonry" is a misnomer. It should be entitiled, "Legends of the Origins of Freemasonry." As a compilation of all known legends, it is a reasonable reference. But, it certainly has nothing to do with the true origins of Freemasonry now accepted by scholars.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 2.0 out of 5 stars History Book? Nope. If you are looking for a history book, then you've come to the wrong place. Basically, it is a chapter by chapter evaluation of the myth of where Freemasonry came from along with... Read more Published 9 months ago by Daniel Brazzell 4.0 out of 5 stars Masonic Reference Excellent for the new or Master Mason,for use at home or in the Lodge Published on February 23, 2006 by T. Johnson 4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading This is a wonderfully written book. May be difficult for some readers as some parts are in Old English. Keep in mind that Mackey is discussing 'legend' not known fact. Published on September 1, 2004 by Mark Ingram 4.0 out of 5 stars Values and Beliefs, Not History This is a beautiful book, and wonderful- if you recognize it as what it is. It is a collection of myths about the origins of Freemasonry, not a factual history. Read more Published on April 29, 2003 by James Schoonmaker 3.0 out of 5 stars The book incites more questions than it answers The book is quite thorough in citing the various theories regarding the origin and history of freemasonry, however, it leaves you hanging on what the author thinks is the correct... Read more Published on March 21, 2000 by Dr. Benjamin J. Garcia-Azcue V 3.0 out of 5 stars The book incites more questions than it answers The book is quite thorough in citing the various theories regarding the origin and history of freemasonry, however, it leaves you hanging on what the author thinks is the correct... Read more Published on March 20, 2000 by Dr. Benjamin J. Garcia-Azcue V 3.0 out of 5 stars Mackey knows the myths; see Stevenson for verifiable history Mackey's book does a good job of collecting Freemasonry's powerful myths in one place, and that makes it a worthwhile read. Read more Published on December 16, 1999 4.0 out of 5 stars It Wasn't Supposed To Answer The Question... To those who were disappointed at not receiving the answer to the unanswerable: We have not succeeded in answering all your problems. Read more Published on June 1, 1999 by HIRAMicLegend 3.0 out of 5 stars Mackey still has a place among Masonic scholars. Note that I have always seen the spelling of the author's name in all lower case i.e. Mackey. Published on January 2, 1999 2.0 out of 5 stars HOW TO WASTE $20... This book looks GREAT on the outside -- the covers and the binding are truly beautiful...Unfortunately, that's just about its strongest point. Read more Published on May 30, 1998 by [e-mail] Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Gramercy (June 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517149826
• ISBN-13: 978-0517149829
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #91 in

  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Freemasonry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Research Book of Freemasonry, January 28, 2001

By	Graham Douglas Lincoln "The Truth is Absolute... (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

The History of Freemasonry is clouded with time, personal prejudice, suppression and many other factors. Yet, men like Mackey lay the paver-stones for the path of self-discovery amongst Masons. He gave many years of his life to this research and the book is well-worth every year he spent in dusty libraries, to produce this work. The beginnings of this book contain very archaic language, but the struggle is worth the time given to study. It seems that most books are a variation of this material, or refer to this material. Whether it is "the definitive history of Freemasonry," or not, is up to debate.... However, it is hard to appreciate NEW findings, without refering to books such as this one, to understand how much of the mass-market material is "accurate" or, at-least, Inspired-by well-documented research. I would expect to see this one on every Mason's bookshelf, but Anyone can appreciate the complex "History of Freemasonry."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, December 9, 1998

By	[e-mail] Brother John Nagy (PA) - See all my reviews

This book was a truly enchanting read. I thought that Brother Mackey's dissection of what is legend and what is fact was remarkable. You can tell by reading this book that a tremendous amount of research went into his works. Bro. Mackey takes the various manuscripts and theories that were written since the conception of the Craft and ingeniously and deliberately uncovers there true meanings. A true work of art for the Masonic Student...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a history but a compilation of legends, December 4, 1998

By A Customer

It is true that this book delves into every single known legend concerning the origin of Freemasonry and concludes that each and every one is unprovable. It is also true that the author's style of writing is victorian and dated. The binding is also eye catching and makes the book look bizarre.

But, this book does have a useful value to those interested in Freemasonry. While it does say that no evidence can be found to support any of the legends of the origins of "The Craft", it does manage to list all the known legends and recount them in detail. Consequently, the book is useful as a compilation of legends, which were created by individuals at different places and times to suit different purposes.

"The History of Freemasonry" is a misnomer. It should be entitiled, "Legends of the Origins of Freemasonry."

As a compilation of all known legends, it is a reasonable reference. But, it certainly has nothing to do with the true origins of Freemasonry now accepted by scholars.