It's a tough question. Depends where u r at...
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Freemasonry - Symbols, Secrets, Significance
By W. Kirk MacNulty, Published Thames and Hudson 2006 ISBN 978-050051302-6
Reviewed by WBro Damien of Lodge Devotion
Verdict; Excellent
Recommended for; Master Masons
I recently obtained a copy of the above from the Kew Library but have also seen it in bookstores.
Don’t let the hundreds of wonderful pictures fool you; this book is forreading with interesting and well written text reflecting the sound Masonic knowledge of the author. One of the early chapters is an excellent crash course in Masonic history founded in fact rather than speculation. It gives a succinct account of the foundation of United Grand Lodge England and others. It describes the development of Anderson’s Constitutions and explains the split of the “Ancients” and “Moderns” in 1751. Later, it touches on the higher orders and contextualizes Freemasonry in the philosophical outlook of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century. It contains an interesting take on the symbolic meaning of lodge officers. Some reviewers criticise it for “text was limited to brief essays and extensive captions” – but for me, that was part of the attraction.
What another reviewer said;
Ceremonial regalia, paintings, manuscripts, tracing boards, ritual swords, furniture, prints, ephemera, and architecture: the book is copiously illustrated with many specially researched items from Freemasonry archives. This unrivalled compendium will appeal both to Freemasons wishing to learn the full story of their order and to a general audience that is intensely curious about this traditionally secretive and closed movement.
Topics include the historical and philosophical background of the order, including the Knights Templar, the medieval stonemasons' guilds, and esoteric traditions such as Kabbalah and Hermeticism its history from the earliest Masons to the present day, including famous members and scandals its geographical spread from Japan to California, Sweden to South Africa 300 illustrations, 200 in colour