Recommended Reading List for Masons
This web page is designed to assist members of the Masonic Fraternity in selecting books which will make worthwhile additions to their Masonic library. It is not intended that these be viewed as a “top ten” list; rather that the books listed here are generally accepted by Masonic scholars to be reliable guides to Masonic knowledge. For the most part, they can also still be found on the Internet, Masonic Supply companies, and/or regular bookstores.
Origins of Freemasonry
The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland’s Century 1590-1710, David Stevenson, Cambridge University Press, 1988
The Rise and Development of Organized Freemasonry, Roy A. Wells, Lewis Masonic Press, London, 1986
The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, the First Freemasons,Tobias Churton, Weiser Books, 2005
History of Freemasonry
A Comprehensive View of Freemasonry, Henry Wilson Coil, Macoy Publishing, 1954
American Freemasons: Three Centuries of Building Communities, Mark A.Tabbart, New York University Press, New York, 2005
Living the Enlightenment: Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth Century Europe, Margaret Jacob, Oxford University Press, 1991
Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840, Steven C. Bullock, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC 1996
Freemasonry: A Celebration of the Craft, John Hamil and Robert Gilbert, World Publications, 1999
Lodge of the Double Headed Eagle: Two Centuries of Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America’s Southern Jurisdiction, William L. Fox, University of Arkansas Press, 1997
Valley of the Craftsmen, A Pictorial History: Scottish Rite Freemasonry inAmerica’s Southern Jurisdiction, 1801-2001, edited by William L. Fox, Supreme Council, S.J., A&ASR
Inside Prince Hall, David L. Gray, Anchor Communication, LLC, Lancaster, VA 2004
100 Years of Scottish Rite Masonry in the Valley of Guthrie, Robert G. Davis, Cowen Printing, Oklahoma City, 1999
Rose Croix: A History of the Ancient and Accepted Rite in England and Wales, A.C.F. Jackson, Ian Allan Publishing, Ltd, 1980
Symbolism
Symbolism in Craft Masonry, Colin Dyer, Macoy Publishing, A. Lewis Press, London 1976
Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol, Kirk MacNulty, Cambridge University Press, 1991
Way of the Craftsmen: A Search for the Spiritual Essence of Freemasonry,Kirk MacNulty, Central Regalia, Ltd, 2002
Sources of Masonic Symbolism, Alex Horne, Macoy Publishing, 1981
Meaning of Masonry, W.L. Wilmshurst, Gramercy, 1995
Symbols of Freemasonry, Daniel Beresniak, Assouline, 2000
Vested In Glory, Jim Tresner, Scottish Rite Research Society, Supreme Council, SJ, A&ASR, 2000
Mythology
The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell, Bollingen Series, 1972
The Myth of the Eternal Return, Marcea Eliade, Pantheon Books, 1955
Myths to Live By, Johnson E. Fairchild, Penguin, 1993
Philosophy
Bridge to Light, Rex Hutchens, Supreme Council, SJ, A&ASR, Washington, DC
Pillars of Wisdom: The Writings of Albert Pike, Rex Hutchens, Supreme Council, SJ, A&ASR, Washington, DC
Hidden Wisdom, A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions, Richard Smoley & Jay Kinney, Penguin, 1999
General
Freemason’s Guide and Compendium, Bernard E. Jones, Chambers Harrap Publishers, 1991
The Freemason At Work, Harry Carr, Lewis Masonic, 1981
Freemasonry Universal, A New Guide to the Masonic World, Vol’s 1 and 2,Kent Henderson & Tony Pope, Global Masonic Publications, Australia, 2001
Understanding Manhood in America: Freemasonry’s Enduring Path to the Mature Masculine, Robert G. Davis, Anchor Communications, LLC, Lancaster, VA 2005
Albert Pike: The Man Beyond the Monument, Jim Tresner, Scottish Rite Research Society, Supreme Council, SJ, A&ASR, 1995
A Life of Albert Pike, Walter G. Brown, University of Arkansas Press, 1997
Coils Masonic Encyclopedia, Henry Wilson Coil, Macoy Publishing, 1995