Product Description

Can the ancestry of freemasonry really be traced back to the Knights Templar? Is the image of the eye in a triangle on the back of the dollar bill one of its cryptic signs? Is there a conspiracy that stretches through centuries and generations to align this shadow organization and its secret rituals to world governments and religions? Myths persist and abound about the freemasons, Margaret C. Jacob notes. But what are their origins? How has an early modern organization of bricklayers and stonemasons aroused so much public interest? In The Origins of Freemasonry, Jacob throws back the veil from a secret society that turns out not to have been very secret at all.

What factors contributed to the extraordinarily rapid spread of freemasonry over the course of the eighteenth century, and why were so many of the era's most influential figures drawn to it? Using material from the archives of leading masonic libraries in Europe, Jacob examines masonic almanacs and pocket diaries to get closer to what living as a freemason might have meant on a daily basis. She explores the persistent connections between masons and nascent democratic movements, as each lodge set up a polity where an individual's standing was meant to be based on merit, rather than on birth or wealth, and she demonstrates, beyond any doubt, how active a role women played in the masonic movement.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1025697 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Review
...a sterling account [that] will be considered a classic in the field....carefully crafted and elegantly written... -- American Historical Review, April 2007

Review

"A classic in the field."--American Historical Review

"Highly recommended."--Choice

"When inviting us to go on a journey to the Origins of Freemasonry, Margaret C. Jacob does not take us towards the mysterious deserts of the East or the dark chapels of the Knights Templar. But, once again, she demonstrates that real history is often much more fascinating than the most extravagant fictions."--Roger Dachez, President, Masonic Institute of France

About the Author
Margaret C. Jacob is Distinguished Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of many books, including Strangers Nowhere in the World: The Rise of Cosmopolitanism in Early Modern Europe, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press, as well as The Enlightenment: A Brief History with Selected Texts and Scientific Culture and the Making of the Industrial West.

Customer Reviews

The Origins of Freemasonry
Excellent book, well written by a non-Mason. The best part, for me, is Jacob's treatment of women in Masonry. At a time when equality between women and men is getting ever more important and significant, it is very helpful to know that there were, and are, women actively involved in Masonry. If for no other reason, the book is a good read for perspective.

A fascinating and eye-opening examination of a lasting organization's impact on history
Distinguished professor of history Margaret C. Jacob presents The Origins Of Freemasonry: Facts & Fictions, an intriguing and scholarly scrutiny of Freemasonry, from its roots in the gathering of impoverished English and Scottish guilds in the 1650s to its evolution into an organization intertwined with fledgling democratic movements. Freemasonry membership gradually came to imply a keen interest in government, with lodges functioning as schools in oratory, social discipline, and other facets of community life; furthermore, women played a noticeably more active role in Freemasonry life than is popularly believed. The Origins Of Freemasonry strives to recreate as accurate a picture of the daily life of Freemasons as possible even as it seeks to debunk misperceptions and explore noble ideas connected to the movement, such as the concept (unfortunately not always honored in full spirit) that an individual's standing should be based on merit rather than birth or wealth. A fascinating and eye-opening examination of a lasting organization's impact on history.

An Intelligent Book About Freemasonry
With all of the hype surrounding the release of the 'DaVinci Code' film adaptation, a certain sensationalism has overshadowed some important historical facts.

The author was on 'Good Morning America' yesterday, and I had previously heard her speak at the Masonic Temple of Philadelphia. Her study of the Freemasons (their connections to the American and French Revolutions, what their diaries tell us about their daily lives, details of the initiation rituals, etc.)is fascinating. It's a scholarly work, but an interesting and accessible read.