Product Description

The ultimate book on Freemasonry, with a rich collection of symbols and lore that illuminate the famous fraternal society. "The Craft," with an estimated four million Freemasons worldwide, remains the largest fraternal organization in the world. Written by an active Freemason, this book comprehensively explains Freemasonry through its fascinating visual culture, rich in mysterious and arcane symbols of life, death, and morality that have evolved over centuries of secrecy and that have profound philosophical meaning.

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 unrivaled 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.

The coverage includes

• 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 color.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202353 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author
W. Kirk MacNulty has been a Freemason for over forty years and is a member of three lodges in the United States and England. His books include The Way of the Craftsman, Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance and Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol. He lives in Arlington, VA.

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Customer Reviews

Freemasonry Enlightened
I am a Master Mason and also a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason so feel qualified to give an opinion, recognizing that other may not share my viewpoint.

Masonry is not for everybody, but this book goes a long way to tell the story in a manner that many non-Mason's can understand. There is very little these days that is "secret" and our Lodge is very open, even having its installations open to the public.

I concur that Masonry is not a religion, but it does reinforce my Christian beliefs, as well as those other religions we have in our Lodge.

This is a good book, not perfect, but well worth having and reading. I am enjoying reliving much of what I learned along the way and seeing how Masons around the globe work.

I recommend this book to those wanting to know more about this great Fraternity, home to many generations of Americans, including a large number of our founding Fathers.

Freemasonry:Symbols, Secrets, Significance
I would recommend this publication to particularily any new Mason or someone considering applying, as being the most complete overview of the brotherhood of Masonry I have found. It would also certainly be beneficial to some of those who have been in Masonry for awhile as a "rusty nail training" piece. The pictures and diagrams included in it are excellent quality accurately describing the rich heritage of the society. While it explains very well historical operative masonry to modern day speculative practice the author is careful to preserve the secrets within the degrees.

Review from a life member of the Scottish Rite Research Society.
This is a great introduction to the WORLD (Caps added for emphasis) of Freemasonry written in plain language for the Mason and Non-Mason. The full color/black and white pictures are excellent. Brother MacNulty is a loyal Man of the Craft and shares some of his cherised thoughts about the Craft with you within the pages of this book but he is careful not to spoon feed deep esoteric knowledge about the Craft because the Craft is not designed for babies. THE CRAFT IS DESIGNED FOR MEN. We Masons will guide you and give you the tools you need to find the ultimate answers for yourself, AS A MAN! Brother MacNulty is one of the brightest Masonic stars to come out from the state of Virginia. And like me, he is a member of both American and British Freemasonry. The knowledge resulting in his dual membership is reflected in this excellent book. Read "Freemasonry; A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol, also by Brother MacNulty, for a deeper understanding of the Craft. And finally, read "The Way of The Craftsman", also by Brother MacNulty, if you are a Master Mason interested in the ESOTERIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE CRAFT. I could say more to address the funny anti-masons but will not because that would be spoon feeding.