
Read more: The Craft and Its Symbols: Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism
The History of Freemasonry - Vol. I
Author: Albert Gallatin Mackey, 33o (1897 - 1881)
Copyright 1898
There are countless books on the history and origins of Freemasonry. A choice few are written on the basis of rigorous scholarly research. Many mix pieces of history and tradition with a generous helping of well-meaning elaboration of fact and a pinch of unvarnished imagination. Still more start and end as pure flights of fancy and invention disguised as history, often believed outright through ignorance of the facts or the sheer enjoyment of a good moral tale. Finally, some scurrilously use fabrication and misinformation for the purpose of discrediting the Fraternity.
Mackey's History of Freemasonry is a shining example of the finest in thorough, unflinching historic research combined with the utmost respect for valued - and valuable - traditional teaching. Mackey's great service is to know the difference and to present well-researched facts in a thoughtful, systematic and an occasionally humorous way that I found both edifying and enjoyable to read.