frequently asked question is what should I read in Freemasonry. A number of fanciful books on Freemasonry of dubious quality have been published in the lay press in the past several years concerning the origins of Freemasonry.  These are to be found on Internet and in the local bookstores. 

Reprints of the older works of less than optimal quality can also be easily obtained.  The truly excellent works on Freemasonry are more difficult to find. The current worthwhile books can be found in Masonic catalogs such as Macoy as well as occasionally in local bookstores. Those which are out of print can occasionally be found at Ebay.com, Amazon.com, or Addall.com.

The latter website, which is not an auction site, can access the computers of many old bookstores and is wonderful for locating out-of-print books. 

1. **Coil's Masonic Encyclopedia – A one volume encyclopedia covering virtually every aspect of Freemasonry.

2. **The Craft and Its Symbols - A wonderful introduction to the meaning of the symbols of Freemasonry.

3. **The Freemason’s Guide and Compendium by Bernard E. Jones – Bro. Jones was a Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, the premier English research lodge. Although focusing on English Freemasonry, it is the outstanding and most complete book for Masonic history and for Freemasonry in general. It is quite readable,  encyclopaedic, and unsurpassed in its coverage of Masonic history. It can occasionally be found online at the sites mentioned above.

4. Freemasons' Book of the Royal Arch - The essential book for Royal Arch Masons.  It is basically a companion volume to The Freemason’s Guide and Compendium.

5. The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century, 1590-1710 – An outstanding Masonic history by David Stevenson, Professor of Scottish History at the University of St. Andrews.  This work covers the history of Freemasonry in Scotland from its origins in the 1500s.  It also analyzes how Renaissance intellectual influences helped create the Masonic movement and is essential for understanding the early development of Freemasonry and the not inconsiderable role of its intellectual predecessors.

6. **Newly Made Mason: What He & Every Mason Should Know About Masonry by H. L. Haywood – An all-inclusive basic book and a great introduction to the Craft for the new Mason.  This is the place for the new Mason to begin his education in Freemasonry.

7. Acta Quatuor Coronatorum (the annual journal of the English Research Lodge, Quatuor Coronati) – The world’s outstanding research journal of Freemasonry.  Published annually, each issue is packed with  fascinating articles on Masonic history.

8. Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order 1730-1840 by Stephen Bullock – This book's greatest importance is on Freemasonry’s role in the development of American culture.

9. The Pocket History of Freemasonry by G. Norman Knight and Frederick Smyth – A pocket-sized book packed with information on the history of Freemasonry

10. The Freemason at Work by Harry Carr – Harry Carr was an outstanding Masonic historian and was editor of the Transactions of Acta Quatuor Coronatorum for several years and responded in the journal to hundreds of questions on Freemasonry of which more than 200 are collected in this volume. Read anything that you can find by Harry Carr. He was one of the great scholars of Freemasonry.

11. Harry Carr’s World of Freemasonry – This is a series of outstanding and fascinating articles on a wide range of Masonic subjects. It demonstrates the wide range of Harry Carr’s interests in Masonic history. There is a 41 page article on the letter G with an analysis of its history going back to early English ritual documents as well as its symbolism. There is also a long article on the development of the Third Degree from 1696 on. Each chapter stands alone and the book is fascinating reading.

12. A Reference Book for Freemasons by Frederick Smyth –This is an encyclopedia type volume by a Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge that has short articles on a wide variety of Masonic topics. There is a half page article describing the Mystic Tie, the bond of Freemasonry and its use by Robert Burns, the Masonic Scottish poet. This comes just after an article about music and Masonic composers. It’s a very easy book to pick up and browse through and Bro. Smyth’s erudition shines through.

13. **The Short Talk Bulletin – Published monthly by Masonic Service Association of North America. These fascinating 2 page papers have covered virtually every topic in Freemasonry.

WORTHWHILE BOOKS

1. The History of English Freemasonry by John Hamill - Another excellent and very readable history of Freemasonry by an outstanding Masonic Historian and the Curator and Librarian of the United Grand Lodge of England.

2. Collected Prestonian Lectures, vol. 1,2,3,4. The collected annual lectures given at Quatuor Coronati Lodge by leading Masonic historians. These lectures are also published annually in Acta Quatuor Coronatorum and cover a wide variety of Masonic topics with a generally historical perspective.

3. Symbolism in Craft Freemasonry by Colin Dyer - An outstanding book on Masonic symbolism and philosophy. It is full of fascinating insights and avoids the flights of fancy that infest the literature on symbolism.

4. **Philalethes Journal – An excellent American Masonic journal covering a wide variety of topics in Masonic History and thought.

5. Comprehensive View of Freemasonry by Henry W. Coil – A well-written basic history of Freemasonry.

6. Freemasonry - A Journey through Ritual and Symbol by W. Kirk MacNulty – Philosophical and thought-provoking.

7. The Way of the Craftsman by W. Kirk MacNulty – A book with fascinating insights on Freemasonry.

8. Millennial Masonry by Kent Henderson – Why European Masonry is thriving and what needs to be done here. It is thoughtful and decisive and is the blueprint for success in Freemasonry in the future.

9. *The Freemasons by Jasper Ridley – A review of Freemasonry by a non-Mason intended for the general public. Very readable and reasonably accurate.

10.  *Freemasons for Dummies – Despite the name, it is an excellent introduction to Freemasonry, not only for the Candidate or the new Mason, but for the Craft in general. It is easy bedtime reading.

11.  The Origins of Freemasonry, Facts and Fiction by Margaret C. Jacob– A fascinating story of the incredibly rapid spread of Freemasonry in the 18th century Britain and Europe and an extensive analysis of Women in Freemasonry in continental Europe by an outstanding Masonic historian.

12. The Radical Enlightenment: Pantheists, Freemasons and Republicans by Margaret C. Jacob – A recent study of  A detailed survey of the interrelationship of spread of Freemasonry into continental Europe and the interplay of Freemasonry and radical political thought in the 18th century which was far different from the Freemasonry of Britain and subsequently of the United States.

13. The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry by James Stevens Curl – The influence of Freemasonry on architecture and design encompassing its philosophical and literary influence on labyrinths, cemeteries and Masonic gardens with the Masonic garden as the paradigm of the journey through life.

14. Our Masonic Presidents by L. Randall Rogers – The biographies of our Masonic Presidents. Easy reading and has a great deal of information.

15. The Rosicrucian Enlightenment by Frances Yates – An excellent history of the Rosicrucian movement and its complex and poorly understood relation to Freemasonry.

16. The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and the first Free Masons by Tobias Churton – An analysis of the mystical trends that played a formative role in early Freemasonry.

17. King Solomon’s Temple in the Masonic Tradition by Alex Horne – This is an easy to read book which analyzes the Temple from our Masonic tradition. Horne traces the Temple back through the earliest Masonic documents and catechisms and there is considerable attention paid to the details of the Temple. There is also a large amount of material on Hiram Abiff including the development of the Hiramic myth. This book is well worth reading,

18. The Temples at Jerusalem and Their Masonic Connections by George Farrah – The historical background of the Temples, their architecture, descriptive Biblical passages, methods of building the Temples, and technical data on foundry, casting, and various construction techniques as well as placing the Temples within their Masonic context. There is considerable discussion on the various sacred objects within the Temple such as the pillars, the globes, and the Ark of the Covenant. There is ample discussion of Solomon’s Temple and Zerubabbel’s Temple and their relation to Blue Lodge Masonry and to the Royal Arch Degree.

OLDER BOOKS BUT EXCELLENT READING

1. *The Builders by Joseph Fort Newton – A series of interesting essays by an outstanding minister and Mason.

2. The Great Light in Masonry by Joseph Fort Newton – A well-written work on the VSL.

3. Introduction to Freemasonry by Carl Claudy – An older book but still a worthwhile introduction to the Craft.

4. The Little Masonic Library – Another older work consisting of five volumes by several authors on 20 different subjects. It is quite readable.