Masonic Authors' Guild International

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews Wes Cook's Colonial Freemasonry, published in 1974. This book claims to answer questions like: what is the oldest Masonic Lodge in North America? What is the difference, if any, between Ancient and Modern lodges in America? Why do Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Georgia all make claims to important Masonic history? It is popular history, with more than 13 contributors all reciting the history of Freemasonry in their state, and published by the Missouri Lodge of Research.

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews Alexander Piatgorsky's Freemasonry: The Study of a Phenomenon, originally titled Who’s Afraid of Freemasonry? First published in 1997, and reprinted in 1999 by Harvill Press, London. This substantial book of 398 pages is divided into four parts: Introduction, History, Ritual and Mythology, and a Conclusion. Although this is a history of Freemasonry, Piatgorsky’s approaches the subject from two angles: philosophy and the Craft a cultural phenomenon, not an institution.

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews Steven C. Bullock’s Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840 published in 1996 by the University of North Carolina Press. After nearly 30 years it remains the standard work on early American Freemasonry, arguing not only that the Craft first introduced -- and then transformed -- the eighteenth-century Enlightenment in America, but that it later helped to create the nineteenth-century culture of democracy, individualism, and sentimentalism.

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews Maurice Cotterell’s The Tutankhamun Prophecies: The Sacred Secret of Maya, Egyptians, and Freemasons. It was first published in 1999, and reprinted in 2001 by Baron Company of Rochester, Vermont. We attempt to understand the author’s claim that there were links between the Maya, Egyptians and Freemasons, but more especially to learn more about what he calls "the Freemasons’ Sacred Secrets."

In this episode, the MAGI discuss how, and why, writing about the past in a serious and critical manner is important. Most especially, how does the reader assess the quality of what they are reading? Who is the author, and what qualifications do they possess?

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews Mark C. Carnes’ “Secret Ritual and Manhood in Victorian America,” published in 1989 by Yale University Press. This is an academic book that attempts to explain the vast popularity of Freemasonry and scores of other fraternal organizations after the Civil War. As stated by Prof. Carnes in his Preface, "The central argument is that these long and 'perilous' initiatory journeys facilitated the young man's transition to, an acceptance of, a remote and problematic concept of manhood in Victorian America."

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews Jasper Ridley’s The Freemasons: A History of the World's Most Powerful Secret Society, published in 1999. The book spans the whole history of Freemasonry, from the 1500s to the end of the 20th century. It was a best seller with new editions following in 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2017.

Masonic Authors' Guild International reviews David Stevenson’s The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland’s Century 1590-1710, first published in 1988, with several reprints afterwards. Its nine chapters start with an introduction and move from the Craft's Medieval legacy, through the Renaissance, to seventeenth century Lodges both in Scotland and England.