The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society Paperback – May 15, 2011

The author is quite thorough and covering the Masons in history including how the original guild transforms to the think group of their latter existence. The author covers all the way from the middle ages to today He does so with much the same method used by the Chroniclers of the Hebrew kings in the Old Testament. Showing how the exclusive trade of masons building castles etc. made for an elite class of wealthier tradesmen. The mobility required in this trade opened the door for international experience and thinking for when the group transformed to a discussion club. A person not acquainted with world history may have trouble following the story as the author goes to one country to tell a story and then jumps back in time to another country to pick up the story from where he left off there. From reading this I have come to the conclusion that the Masons are as much a result of thinking that had become prevalent as they are and have been influencers of thinking. It is nonetheless amazing how many and how different the prominent people that were masons stand out in history.

I read this book to update my own book on two illustrious Freemasons: George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. I had thought that the “free” in Freemasons came from their ability to freely travel throughout Europe to build castles and cathedrals with their much sought-after skills with stone. This well-researched book says something more. That "Freemason" was a shortening of "freestone mason," a highly skilled mason who worked in “freestone,” such as limestone, which could be freely cut in any direction, lending itself to graceful artistic decoration.Beyond this insight, the book does a fairly decent job of describing the history of Freemasonry. I must take a small exception, though, to the author’s description of “hanged, drawn, and quartered” at location 264 of 6491, where he discusses the penalty King Henry VIII would impose on any of his subjects denying his (not the Pope's) role as Supreme Head of the Church of England. A more fully explained (to include quartering, which the author omits) UK description of this execution reads as such: “The victims were first hung by the neck but taken from the scaffold while still alive. The entrails and genitals are then removed (drawn), the head cut off and the torso hacked into four quarters. There's some debate over whether drawn refers to the dragging of the live victim to the butcher's block or the (with)drawing of the entrails. A supposed contemporary account of the execution of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators has it that ‘... after his fall he [Robert Keyes] was drawn to the block, and there his bowels withdrawn, and he was divided into four parts.’ If this account is to be believed, drawing referred to either of or both the moving of the still live body and the subsequent withdrawal of the entrails.” Drawing, per Wikipedia, could also refer to a horse dragging the person to the place of execution, then to be hung. Also, sometimes the quartering could be down by wild horses pulling on the victim’s four limbs. Typically, the five body parts would then be taken around the country to warn people who had not witnessed the execution about what happens to those who cross their sovereign. “The head was generally par-boiled in brine to preserve the appearance of the head in display, while the quarters were more often prepared in pitch, for longer-lasting deterrent displays.”Then, on location 1071 of 6491, the author later writes, “No one was hanged, drawn and quartered in England after the Papist priests who suffered during the so-called ‘Popish Plot’ in 1679—81.” However, this is what Wikipedia says: “After the Crimes Act 1814 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the prisoner was instead hanged until dead - not having to suffer the extremely painful remainder of the punishment while alive. The public display of the bodies of executed prisoners (whether by hanging, drawing and quartering, or some other method) was removed from English criminal law in 1843; drawing and quartering in 1870.” On the other hand, laws aside, it’s been written that David Tyrie was the last man actually hanged, drawn, and quartered, this happening in 1782. Others say it was Edward Despard (and six co-conspirators) in 1803. But evidence leads one to believe that while Despard was sentenced to hanging, drawing, and quartering, his sentence was commuted to simply hanging and beheading. At any rate, Tyrie was 100 years after the date given by the author.I also have a small issue with the rendering of France’s entering the American Revolutionary War. At location 1795 of 6491, the author says, “King Louis XVI found an easy way of helping the Americans. A young nobleman, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette, was a typical member of the young, progressive aristocracy who believed in ideals of freedom, constitutional government and religious toleration; and he had become a Freemason. The King gave him permission to raise a band of volunteers to fight for freedom in America.” Well, yes, the King gave Lafayette permission, but it wasn’t an “easy way” and was long after the King wanted to lock Lafayette up in the Bastille (1776) to prevent him from going to America and violating France’s peace treaty with England after their Seven Year’s War. By the time the King was openly willing to help him, Lafayette had already become a hero at the Battle of Brandywine (1777).Then, too, the book sometimes runs far afield into tangents related to some of the Freemasons covered. All in all, though, the book is full of intriguing facts about Freemasons. It’s well-written and highly recommended for those interested in the history of Freemasonry!“Character is Key for Liberty!” Check out how “Character, Culture, and Constitution” played “key” roles in the American and French Revolutions: George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul, a best-seller at Mount Vernon.

If you are a history person and interested in Freemasonry, you'll enjoy this. There are no secrets, as such; just little facts and tidbits that aren't commonly known. Good read if you want to delve further into Freemasonry history.

There is a good deal of solid history in this book. That said, there are a handful of inaccuracies (or perhaps creative license?) with both history and fact about Freemasonry. Take things said with a grain of salt and do research on the side. The author really needs to get a better editor too - the book is packed with severe grammatical errors and run-on sentences, which makes it very difficult to read at times.

Excellent read

Secret Societies are very old and not that much fun to read...got bogged down in historical details.

My grandfather and father-in-law were masons, as well as other relatives, and I've always been intrigued. No one ever asked me to join, though, and only later in life did I hear that one had to express interest. In any case, an organization that included so many of the founding fathers and hundreds of other distinguished Americans is worth understanding. This book traces Freemasonry back to misty beginnings before the Norman Conquest, and it outlines the ins and outs of Masons in all the countries of Europe, some of Asia, and the rest of the British Empire, and of course the U.S. We become aware that Masons have been involved in affairs both noble and tawdry, everywhere they lived; that they were sometimes embroiled in political nastiness and royal squabbles; that they participated in major political movements across centuries. All of this is interesting enough. What we don't find out about is what Masons believe, what informs their not so secret rituals, and why they have persisted so long.The book was thus interesting enough, if sometimes tedious; but it never told me what I wanted to know. Why did my grandfather belong?

For me it was like reading a college text book. It was so intense, so many names to remember, dates kept jumping all around. It is an excellent book for individuals looking for an in depth study of the Freemasons. I thought it would be more entertaining than just facts. I guess it depends what you want to take away from reading this book. I just didn't look at this book as an enjoyable read. the bottom line, it was different than what I had anticipated.

great value

Good Read

Got this for my Dad and his friend as they are interested in history, and the history of the Freemasons They are both very pleased I discovered it! Shame the print is so tiny though (Dad has sight issues)