Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society: Inside the World's Oldest Secret Society

by H. Paul Jeffers

From Back Cover:
Freemasons have been accused of everything from conducting clandestine satanic rituals to masterminding a worldwide conspiracy for planetary domination. The order's members --- which have included Sir Isaac Newton, John Wayne, Bill Gates, some of America's most popular entertainers, and 25 U.S. presidents --- insist they merely share a bond of brotherhood, service, and charity. It's the oldest and largest fraternal organization in the world and even figures prominently in such modern bestsellers as The Da Vinci Code, yet Freemasonry is still terribly and consistently misunderstood.

In Freemasons, H. Paul Jeffers delves into Masonic history to reveal the surprising and controversial truths behind this ancient and secretive order, from its mystery-shrouded origins in medieval Europe through its rise in America, where Benjamin Franklin founded the first lodge. Today, some four to five million Freemasons worldwide pledge to live their lives in accordance with principles of morality, charity, and loyalty --- both to fellow Masons and to the order itself. But what exactly does Freemasonry entail, and what happens behind the lodges' closed doors? Discover the truth about:
Masonic Symbols - architectural symbolism, rings, pins, and other subtle indicators of membership
Rites and Rituals - "Rite of Investiture" initiation ceremonies, the Apron Lecture, the Rite of Destitution, and others
Hierarchy and organizational structure - including rules for advancement
Freemasonry's ancient and ongoing conflict with major religious institutions worldwide
Women and Freemasonry - including such groups as Eastern Star, Job's Daughters, and Amaranth
"Anti-Masons" - opposition groups, from the Catholic Church to conspiracy theorists
Aftican-American Masonry - the "Prince Hall" Masonry alumni, which included Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, author Alex Haley, and musician Nat "King" Cole
Myths and conspiracies - Why is a Masonic symbol on American currency? Do Masons really control the world?
Now, in this fascinating guide that explores the myths and reality of Freemasonry, the veil of secrecy is finally lifted...

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion

256 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

H. Paul Jeffers was an established military historian and author of seventy books. He worked as an editor and producer at ABC, CBS and NBC, and is the only person to have been news director of both of New York City's all-news radio stations. He taught journalism at New York University, Syracuse University, and Boston University.

Reviews

[M.F. Soriano · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent, but not inspired, survey of Masons. The author is a workhorse, having published more than 60 books on a panoply of (mostly non-masonic) subjects. I've never read any other book by him, nor heard of him prior to reading this book, but I get the feeling his strength lies more in his research and productivity, and less in his clarity or eloquence. This book gave me a good, basic understanding of The Craft and its rituals, and it maintained an objective approach, which I am grateful for (since so many other books on Masonry follow sensational conspiracy tack), but it muddled certain areas badly. Masonic history, and history in general, don't come through clearly in Jeffers words. He tends to jumble multiple figures together in single sentences without clear connection between them, and he's also guilty of tacking non-sequitur clauses on to the end of otherwise logical sentences. Plus he'll digress into a completely different subject for several sentences in the middle of a paragraph that purports to be about something else.

Still, if you want to learn about Masons, there are worse places to start.

[Anthony Wilhoite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful book! After the first chapter or two I could not put this book down! Great insight to many aspects of Masonic history and members without being overwhelming or boring. Wonderful explanations of the rituals used and explanations of certain symbols or figures used within the lodge. Would happily ready this again in the future!

[Joshua Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rated 4 stars because it has encouraged me to seek out and become a Mason. I am new to learning this stuff and it seems comprehensive on one hand, it seems like a LOT to be condensed into such a small book. I will seek out further reading as recommended in the book.

[Kingdomofkush718 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A master level understand on the history of the creed from Hiram to the kabbalistic Jews and illuminati.Excellent read!

[Adam Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I know a little more about Freemasons Secret Society.

[Richard Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book if you want to know the basics surrounding Freemasonry. The book reads more like a textbook than anything else, but the history is very detailed. You will learn just how involved Freemasons have been and continue to be in shaping our nation.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is worthy enough to scan through, since it has good tidbits of knowledge. But it sorely needed a good editor to improve its readability. There are huge leaps of topic, confusing sentences, redundancies and errors.

[Raine Mclellan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the way Jeffers does not go too deeply into the "behind the scenes" of masonry. This book is better for an overview of Masonic history in a short and readable series of chapters with a good flow.

[Gillian Saltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

His writing is so all over the place it was hard to concentrate on the topic at hand. His use of quotes was almost lazy.

[Stacy Curro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love finding out more about secret societies. This book is well written researched and presented.

[Tom J · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot better than i expected, and significantly less conspiracy stuff. a solid if unimaginative history of an interesting topic

[Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

A interesting look into an interestingly mysterious organization.

[Solomon]

good

[Robert Monk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this cheap, mostly because I was a little curious about the Masons. They've been accused of all sorts of sinister deeds, but I've always assumed they were just boring white men who liked to play a little dress-up while they got drunk. Might this book shine a little light on them?

A little. What you essentially get here is a fair amount of trivial information, and almost no analysis. For example, the author tells us the Masons' own version of their history, but doesn't expound on what might really have led to their modern foundation in 1717. He talks about how a bunch of eighteenth century revolutionaries in America and France were Masons, but doesn't say if there was any connection, even if that connection was just the fact that prominent people tended to join the Masons at that point. Which then begs the unanswered question of why prominent men so often joined the Masons.

The author doesn't succumb to Mason paranoia, which is probably good, but he also seems clueless about what makes Freemasonry fun. Why is it that people have been meeting in windowless rooms, learning funny handshakes, and whapping each other with outdated tools for over 250 years? You won't find an answer here.