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The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World

The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World

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  • Create Date：2022-08-06 04:41:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：John Dickie
  • ISBN：1473658209
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Summary

A global history of the world's most famous secret society， encompassing kings and presidents， writers and legislators， composers and entertainers， generals and entrepreneurs。

During the Scottish Reformation， when kings， princes， and popes were being toppled from their thrones， a new and secretive society was formed。 The Freemasonry's fixed rules， suggesting a connection to an ancient wisdom and known only to its initiates， attracted many antagonists， including the Roman Catholic Church， but also attracted a diverse range of members， from tradesman， merchants， actors， lawyers， Jews， and even people of color。

The Craft is a vibrant， revelatory history of the Freemasons， their core ideas， and its members， including revolutionaries （Giuseppe Garibaldi， Simón Bolívar， Motilal Nehru， and George Washington）， rulers （five of England and no fewer than fourteen U。S。 Presidents）， and luminaries （Arthur Conan Doyle， Goethe， Mozart， Shaquille O'Neal， Harry Houdini， Henry Ford， Buzz Aldrin， and Walt Disney; the Duke of Wellington， Duke Ellington， and more）。 John Dickie captures the mystique of Masonic secrecy， and shows why its history is too important and too compelling to be the exclusive property of the initiated as Freemasonry has had a role in shaping the world for all of us。

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Reviews

Wamiq ，

While I am not well versed in Masonry， I felt as though the approach used to explain the Mason's history and origins， kept well away from Conspiracy and YT nutcases。 Obviously there are much better Masonic books on the topics， however this was easy for a uninitiated individual to digest While I am not well versed in Masonry， I felt as though the approach used to explain the Mason's history and origins， kept well away from Conspiracy and YT nutcases。 Obviously there are much better Masonic books on the topics， however this was easy for a uninitiated individual to digest 。。。more

Pieterjan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 personal opinion: not as entertaining as 'Cosa Nostra' by the same author。 This could of course be related to the subject。 although this book is very well substantiated in terms of source material， I don't feel like I really know how thinhs really work in Freemasonry or， for example， what a meeting looks like。 This was described in much more detail and far more precisely in 'Cosa nostra'， almost as if the writer was part of the organization。 That to me is the biggest flaw of this book。 personal opinion: not as entertaining as 'Cosa Nostra' by the same author。 This could of course be related to the subject。 although this book is very well substantiated in terms of source material， I don't feel like I really know how thinhs really work in Freemasonry or， for example， what a meeting looks like。 This was described in much more detail and far more precisely in 'Cosa nostra'， almost as if the writer was part of the organization。 That to me is the biggest flaw of this book。 。。。more

Brandon Jones ，

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Rose ，

I learned a lot reading this book。 It was a good read and worth the time。

VickiLee ，

If you are interested in the historical pathways of the Freemasons， this tome should sate your curiosity！

Duncan McKinnon ，

This is a comprehensive and thorough history of the world as it relates to freemasonry。 I was very impressed with how major historic events and figures are reframed in relation to masonry and how central freemasonry actually is to all of these events。 This book leaves so little to be desired that after this I don't expect to read any further into masonry。 This is a comprehensive and thorough history of the world as it relates to freemasonry。 I was very impressed with how major historic events and figures are reframed in relation to masonry and how central freemasonry actually is to all of these events。 This book leaves so little to be desired that after this I don't expect to read any further into masonry。 。。。more

Juan Carlos Reyes García ，

Absolutely insane

Ron ，

Thorough Investigative JournalismIt was wonderful to see this collection of Masonic History portrayed together by such a capable author。 When seen together， you see a picture of Freemasonry that one doesn’t get from Masonic authors out to capture just the mystique and glamour of the institution。

Jan Devrim ，

This is not a bad book at all。 However， you can see that the topic drifting to something else than the what book promises， too often。 Book contains good historical stories around freemasons。 Sometimes story does relate to freemasons so little， you wonder if you are reading a different book！

Kadin Pounders ，

A fascinating， in-depth history of Freemasonry around the world。

Megan ，

Quashed my curiosity more than satisfied it。

Czytająca Mewa ，

Masoneria była tematem znanym mi tak powierzchownie， że nie mogłam przejść obojętnie obok tytułu， który ukazał się nakładem wydawnictwa Czarna Owca — „Masoni。 Architekci nowoczesnego świata"。 W końcu jak jedna organizacja， która teoretycznie jedynie łączy ludzi wspólnymi zasadami etycznymi， zyskała taką sławę？ Dlaczego tylu znanych ludzi dołączyło do jej szeregów？ I dlaczego ciągle powstają wokół niej teorie spiskowe？ Żeby odpowiedzieć na te pytania John Dickie cofa się do XVIII wieku， by prześl Masoneria była tematem znanym mi tak powierzchownie， że nie mogłam przejść obojętnie obok tytułu， który ukazał się nakładem wydawnictwa Czarna Owca — „Masoni。 Architekci nowoczesnego świata"。 W końcu jak jedna organizacja， która teoretycznie jedynie łączy ludzi wspólnymi zasadami etycznymi， zyskała taką sławę？ Dlaczego tylu znanych ludzi dołączyło do jej szeregów？ I dlaczego ciągle powstają wokół niej teorie spiskowe？ Żeby odpowiedzieć na te pytania John Dickie cofa się do XVIII wieku， by prześledzić historię masonerii。 Przemieszcza się z miasta do miasta， z kontynentu na kontynent， a to po to byśmy mogli dowiedzieć się， jak wiele twarzy na przestrzeni wieków organizacja ta przybierała。 Początkowo więcej było w niej zabawy mitologią， poczucia wspólnoty i spotkań towarzyskich， ale z czasem doszły konflikty wewnętrzne， powstało wiele odłamów， a o mieszaniu się w politykę można mówić godzinami。 Wolnomularze byli na przestrzeni wieków prześladowani， torturowani i piętnowani， ale też posiadali dużą władzę i cieszyli się byciem prestiżowym klubem， do którego każdy， kto się liczył， chciał należeć。 Masoneria obrosła w legendy i otoczyła się obłoczkiem tajemnicy， co sprzyja tworzeniu teorii spiskowych， ale tak naprawdę niemalże wszystko jest jawne i dostępne do wglądu。 To jedyny tak obszerny tytuł， jaki na polskim rynku możemy znaleźć， ale mógłby on być prawie o połowę krótszy， gdyby autor surowo ocenił， które informacje tak właściwie są ważne， a które można pominąć。 Wiele razy miałam bowiem wrażenie， że John Dickie stworzył tekst przegadany， momentami nużący i może temat sam w sobie był bardzo ciekawy， ale już czytanie po raz kolejny i kolejny o czymś lustrzanie podobnym męczyło。 I okej， mamy tutaj przekrój całej znanej nam historii masonerii， a autor całkiem przyjemnie pisze， ale co z tego skoro jest to tak niezgrabne？ Największą wadą książki jednak jest brak przypisów （poza kilkoma od tłumaczki， za które dziękuję！）。 Autor chciał， by była to pozycja dla każdego， a nie każdy lubi co krok przerywać， by czytać adnotacje， ale co z tego， skoro tyle szukałam na własną rękę？ Gdzie tu sens？ Tak jak na przegadanie można przymknąć oko， tak tutaj jedynie wzdycham z irytacją， bo to coś， czego wybaczyć nie mogę。„Masoni。 Architekci nowoczesnego świata" to pozycja interesująca， ale jednocześnie słaba。 Lepszego tytułu o masonerii jednak na rynku polskim nie mamy， więc wciąż warto pamiętać właśnie o tym。 Dowiedziałam się bowiem dzięki niej wielu interesujących faktów i nareszcie czuję， że mam jakieś pojęcie o wolnomularstwie。 Obecnie mamy zbyt wiele odłamów masonerii， by dało się jasno określić jej zasięgi i działania， ale historię mamy szansę zgłębić i to właśnie dzięki chociażby Johnowi Dickiemu， więc warto skorzystać， by lepiej zrozumieć ogrom plotek i fake newsów。 przekł。 Aleksandra OżarowskaPsst， pr*stytutki， homoseksu*liści i inne brzydkości znaleźć możemy w tekście。 Chwilami nie wiedziałam， czy autor ironizuje， czy jest poważny， a jeśli to drugie — zdecydowanie się nie lubimy。 。。。more

Rasim-Ahmet Poturovic ，

10/10

Maciej Bujalski ，

3。8

mommy_and_books ，

Dobra historyczna książka， dzięki której dowiecie się na temat tajnego bractwa zwanego Masonami – Wolnomularzami。 Poznacie również ich najsłynniejszych przedstawicieli między innymi: Winstona Churchilla， Walta Disneya i Wolfganga Mozarta。 Czy wśród członków masonerii są kobiety？ Powiem/ napiszę tak z założenia członkami tego bractwa mogli być tylko mężczyźni。 Dlaczego？ Poczytajcie。 We współczesnym świecie najwięcej masonów jest w Wielkiej Brytanii i USA。 Lepiej uważajcie na siebie。 W książce „Ma Dobra historyczna książka， dzięki której dowiecie się na temat tajnego bractwa zwanego Masonami – Wolnomularzami。 Poznacie również ich najsłynniejszych przedstawicieli między innymi: Winstona Churchilla， Walta Disneya i Wolfganga Mozarta。 Czy wśród członków masonerii są kobiety？ Powiem/ napiszę tak z założenia członkami tego bractwa mogli być tylko mężczyźni。 Dlaczego？ Poczytajcie。 We współczesnym świecie najwięcej masonów jest w Wielkiej Brytanii i USA。 Lepiej uważajcie na siebie。 W książce „Masoni。 Architekci nowoczesnego świata” znajdziecie przerażające informacje。 Czytałam ją kilka dni。 W przerwach nie mogłam normalnie spać。 Nie polecam jej czytać wieczorem。 Znajdziecie tutaj również informacje o szatanie。 Właśnie z nim mi się kojarzy masońska sekta。 Kościół cały czas z nimi ostro walczy。 Masoni byli wolnomularzami。 To tajne stowarzyszenie powstało w połowie XVIII wieku。 Obowiązuje w niej hierarchia。 Jest mnóstwo stopni wtajemniczenia。 Doskonale to wyjaśnia autor John Dickie w swoim najnowszym dziele。 Mają mnóstwo dziwnych symboli。 Rozpoznają się po specjalnych znakach。 Jakich？ Poczytajcie。 Ich obrzędy i wszystko co się dzieje w bractwie jest ściśle tajne。 Nie można nic na zewnątrz wynosić。 Każdy członek masonerii musi być bezwzględnie lojalny wobec bractwa i jego tajemnic。 Jakie kary groziły za złamanie i przekazanie na zewnątrz informacji？ Polecam przeczytać książkę。 Czy można należeć jednocześnie do masonów i Kościoła katolickiego？ Oczywiście， że nie。 Wstępując do tego bractwa sprzeniewierzasz się Bogu， a wyznajesz szatana。Jakie są symbole i jak wyglądają loże masońskie - przeczytacie w tej książce。 Jesteście ciekawi？Książka „Masoni。 Architekci nowoczesnego świata” zawiera zdjęcia i rysunki。Niestety， tej książki nie da się przeczytać w ciągu jednego dnia。 Temat niestety nie jest łatwy。 Dla mnie przeczytanie tej książki nie było takie proste。 Jak już pisałam czytałam ją przez kilka dni。 Szczerze trochę się z nią męczyłam。 Czasami chciała nią rzucić o ścianę。 Mimo wszystko spięłam się i przeczytałam ją do końca。 Nie żałuję。 Dzięki tej książce mogłam dogłębnie przyjrzeć się temu tematowi。 Autor zebrał wszystkie informacje na temat masonów i stworzył swoje dzieło。 Dla laików w tym temacie to wystarczy。 Dla mnie cały czas masoni będą czcicielami diabła。 A co na ten temat sądzi autor？Jeżeli lubicie książki w tym temacie to serdecznie zapraszam do przeczytania。 Jeżeli tak jak ja jesteście laikami i chcecie dowiedzieć się więcej na temat masonerii również polecam tą książkę。 Jeżeli ten temat was nie interesuje – nie zabierajcie się za nią， ponieważ was zanudzi。 。。。more

Eleanor ，

1。5 This was honestly just such a slog。 There were parts of it that were interesting but it could have been so much shorter。 I didn’t feel this was well written or easy to follow。 We’d often talk about historical figures that seemed to have little to no historical importance， nor were they interesting。 There were so many names and we’d float around between all these people， it was hard to keep track。The understanding of the development of the craft and its changes throughout the years was also r 1。5 This was honestly just such a slog。 There were parts of it that were interesting but it could have been so much shorter。 I didn’t feel this was well written or easy to follow。 We’d often talk about historical figures that seemed to have little to no historical importance， nor were they interesting。 There were so many names and we’d float around between all these people， it was hard to keep track。The understanding of the development of the craft and its changes throughout the years was also really hard to follow。 There was so much fluff in this， I honestly feel like I learned very little 。。。more

Jonathan Mitchell ，

Focuses more on the impact of Masonry on the wider world and the wider world's impact on Masonry rather than Masonry in and of itself。Personally， I was looking for more information on the inner workings of Masonry and if that's you， this isn't necessarily the book for you。I would also like to have read more about Scottish freemasonry and felt it was far too weighted towards Italian and French freemasonry。 Superbly written， though， and in saying that very interesting chapters on the Craft in Fasc Focuses more on the impact of Masonry on the wider world and the wider world's impact on Masonry rather than Masonry in and of itself。Personally， I was looking for more information on the inner workings of Masonry and if that's you， this isn't necessarily the book for you。I would also like to have read more about Scottish freemasonry and felt it was far too weighted towards Italian and French freemasonry。 Superbly written， though， and in saying that very interesting chapters on the Craft in Fascist states or dictatorships。 。。。more

Brenden Gallagher ，

I did not love this book， but sometimes your disagreement with the way something is presented can lead to the most stimulating reading experiences。I might have walked away from "The Craft" by John Dickie about halfway through if I wasn't listening to it as research for a thing I am working on that involves the secrecy of the elite。 Dickie is clearly sympathetic to the Freemasons， and while I was happy not to read something from an antagonistic conspiracy theorist， Dickie's affinity for the Mason I did not love this book， but sometimes your disagreement with the way something is presented can lead to the most stimulating reading experiences。I might have walked away from "The Craft" by John Dickie about halfway through if I wasn't listening to it as research for a thing I am working on that involves the secrecy of the elite。 Dickie is clearly sympathetic to the Freemasons， and while I was happy not to read something from an antagonistic conspiracy theorist， Dickie's affinity for the Masons leads to a layer of naivety in this historical survey of Freemasonry that amounts to a fatal flaw。"The Craft's" detailed description of the origins of Freemasonry invites a very clear narrative of the history of Freemasonry that Dickie declines to pursue。 In short， the Masons were founded as an institution that could replace the Church and the monarchy as a center of bourgeois power。 At first， the Masons functioned as a liberalizing institution， opening the halls of power to the untitled petit bourgeois white male businesspeople who didn't come from the right church or family。 But over time， the Masons became a conservative institution， helping to keep power in the hands of that exact same class。 Dickie does track some of Masons' shortcomings， including racism， sexism， and classism。 But he declines to fully understand the organization as an upper middle-class cohort with a clear ideology， a forerunner to today's chambers of commerce。 So when he gets into 20th-century history in particular， he tends to characterize Freemasons as victims of both the left and right rather than as a political entity with its own goals and ideological orientation。 Like so much writing generated in the US and the UK， Dickie falls into the trap of confusing the status quo ideology -- moderate social politics with conservative financial politics -- with no ideology at all。Because Dickie shies away from the obvious material analysis underlying the historical record， in the absence of a clear through-line， he ends up in long digressions that stray from the central narrative of Freemasonry。 Too much time is spent meditating on certain famous Masons， like Rudyard Kipling， and when time is spent on worthy topics， like the rise of Fascism in Italy and racism of Masons in the American South， Dickie is unable to recognize that the values of the upper middle-class align more readily fascism and authoritarianism than socialism and liberation。 Dickie is a fine writer and a rigorous historian， but "The Craft" reminds us that a history can only be as good as the narratives the historian is willing to confront and wrestle with。 And while we want authors who are passionate about their chosen subject， sometimes a little emotional distance is a good thing for historian and audience alike。 。。。more

Simon Mwangi ，

Good book for those who want a brief history of Freemasons。 Didn't get how they made the modern world though。 Good book for those who want a brief history of Freemasons。 Didn't get how they made the modern world though。 。。。more

C。 Ian Campbell ，

To be honest， the hardest parts of this were the chapters of Italian freemasonry which I suspect Dickie has the greatest intersection of his other research。 As an American， I probably took the most from the chapters of American masonry much of which is in northern VA where I grew up。 I had no idea what Masonry was before embarking on this read， and at multiple points I wondered if I should look into joining。 I had to let myself skip the in-depth history of the P2 lodge。

Çağrı ，

An eye-opening exploration of freemasonry。 A valuable read in light of the many conspiracies surrounding such groups。 It explains that these conspiracies are very much the products of narratives promulgated by past establishments， whom the ideas of ‘secretive societies’ threatened。 It also explains that these groups were more prominent than might be commonly thought， playing important （and， of course， despite the ‘ideals’ they uphold， not always positive） roles in nations’ histories。 My worry is An eye-opening exploration of freemasonry。 A valuable read in light of the many conspiracies surrounding such groups。 It explains that these conspiracies are very much the products of narratives promulgated by past establishments， whom the ideas of ‘secretive societies’ threatened。 It also explains that these groups were more prominent than might be commonly thought， playing important （and， of course， despite the ‘ideals’ they uphold， not always positive） roles in nations’ histories。 My worry is the evidentiary basis for much of the analysis。 。。。more

Bill Wallace ，

An excellent account of Freemasonry， illuminating the lurid legends and explaining how they came about， but rigorously factual。 Largely confined to Masonry in the northern hemisphere， Dickie's narrative does a fine job of showing the national characteristics of the Craft in England， France， the US， Italy， and India， tracing its struggles with Catholicism， Communism， fundamentalists， and other rival power structures。 I think my favorite chapter is on India， with a focus on Kipling， where Masonry An excellent account of Freemasonry， illuminating the lurid legends and explaining how they came about， but rigorously factual。 Largely confined to Masonry in the northern hemisphere， Dickie's narrative does a fine job of showing the national characteristics of the Craft in England， France， the US， Italy， and India， tracing its struggles with Catholicism， Communism， fundamentalists， and other rival power structures。 I think my favorite chapter is on India， with a focus on Kipling， where Masonry was used as a subtle and sometimes benevolent tool of empire。 Since this is a history of ostensibly secret things， I'm sure there are dissenting viewpoints on some of the author's positions， but for this novice， I can imagine no better introduction to a fantastic shadow history of the last 300 years。 。。。more

glasscreature ，

Non-fiction is very hard for me to get through a lot of the time but John Dickie's very witty voice and sense for storytelling really helped me enjoy this one。 I really appreciated his attention to telling a story of all the diverse ways masonry has influenced history， particularly with attention to Prince Hall masonry and women in masonry。 That said， I would have liked to hear more about what the Craft's history with homosexuality is- it's mentioned several times throughout this book that it wa Non-fiction is very hard for me to get through a lot of the time but John Dickie's very witty voice and sense for storytelling really helped me enjoy this one。 I really appreciated his attention to telling a story of all the diverse ways masonry has influenced history， particularly with attention to Prince Hall masonry and women in masonry。 That said， I would have liked to hear more about what the Craft's history with homosexuality is- it's mentioned several times throughout this book that it was a common belief that one of the supposed secrets of masonry was that it was a front for homosexuality but no discussion of any history of gay masons。 Overall though it's been very helpful for me for the story I'm working on and if it isn't complete （because such a global phenomenon of Freemasonry will have trouble being covered in just one book） it's certainly thorough in the parts that he does manage to cover。 。。。more

Rick Maloney ，

Started this on Kindle and Audiobook。 Great so far。 Loving every minute。

Jeff Francis ，

I’ve always been intrigued by what I call ‘secret histories’: the lesser-known， often jaw-dropping episodes of the past that have fallen through the cracks of public consciousness。 Examples include the Civil War draft riots， America’s forgotten embrace of eugenics， Operation Paperclip， MK-Ultra， etc。 Well， if you want to delve into secret histories， you can’t do much better than the story of Freemasonry （both in the US and worldwide）， and its influence on America’s founding， many of its presiden I’ve always been intrigued by what I call ‘secret histories’: the lesser-known， often jaw-dropping episodes of the past that have fallen through the cracks of public consciousness。 Examples include the Civil War draft riots， America’s forgotten embrace of eugenics， Operation Paperclip， MK-Ultra， etc。 Well， if you want to delve into secret histories， you can’t do much better than the story of Freemasonry （both in the US and worldwide）， and its influence on America’s founding， many of its presidents， and even our currency。 However， as British historian John Dickie makes clear early in “The Craft: How Freemasons Made the Modern World，” if you’re picturing Freemasons as an evil cabal that hatches sinister plans and does unspeakable acts behind closed doors， you’ll be disappointed。 “The purpose of Masonic secrecy is secrecy。 The elaborate cult of secrecy within Freemasonry is a ritual fiction… the truth about Masonry [is] so completely underwhelming。” （p。 25） Not to fret， though。 As Dickie shows， the history of Freemasonry is largely defined by its enemies who had those dark suspicions。 Said enemies included such fascists as Hitler， Mussolini， and （especially） Franco。 Speculation of Freemasonry and its motives often became so intense that it set the template for how conspiracy theories are still viewed today， from the Satanic Panic of my boyhood to the current Q-Anon craze。 Then as now， the conspiracy theories are mostly fueled by half-truths， fill-in-the-blank explanations， and even outright hoaxes。 As Dickie writes about a widely read book that blamed Freemasons for the French Revolution: “Thus was the modern conspiracy theory born… Yet it （book） does still have much to teach us about how conspiracy-thinking makes complex events seem simple， and makes us feel clever for oversimplifying them。” （p。 84） The example of the French Revolution shows the intrigue of “The Craft”: while Freemasonry’s secrets are anti-climactic， the extent to which the organization brushed-up-against/inflicted-itself-upon historical events is stunning， e。g。， the rise of George Washington， the American Civil War， Imperial Britain， the Holocaust， the American Civil Rights movement， etc。 As a read “The Craft” is good enough。 For a British academic， Dickie maintains an appealing down-to-earth tone。 The chapters are episodic， meaning some are better than others。 I enjoyed the ones about America， but one chapter weirdly （to me） focuses on Rudyard Kipling， and the penultimate chapter stretches out confusing scandal involving modern Italian Masons （this probably cribbed from Dickie’s previous books about Italy and the mafia）。 。。。more

Shirley Brown ，

This was a most provoking book that I have read in a long time。 It is clear that the "CRAFT" has led a "checkered" past。 Well researched and written in a little different style than I have read before。 I learned quite a bit about them。 It's a book that needs to read more than once to probably really appreciate it。 This was a most provoking book that I have read in a long time。 It is clear that the "CRAFT" has led a "checkered" past。 Well researched and written in a little different style than I have read before。 I learned quite a bit about them。 It's a book that needs to read more than once to probably really appreciate it。 。。。more

Joseph ，

Rough reading at parts but extremely informative。 The book can be summed up by several sentences at the book's very end when the author writes: "Masonry's past is as cleckered as a lodge floor" and "Our pursuit of well being may be well served by contemplating the tragic-comic tale of how a form of community born in an earlier global age tried to live out some of our most precious ideals。" The author follows Freemasonry from its founding Scotland out of the Enlightenment through various pivotal Rough reading at parts but extremely informative。 The book can be summed up by several sentences at the book's very end when the author writes: "Masonry's past is as cleckered as a lodge floor" and "Our pursuit of well being may be well served by contemplating the tragic-comic tale of how a form of community born in an earlier global age tried to live out some of our most precious ideals。" The author follows Freemasonry from its founding Scotland out of the Enlightenment through various pivotal moments in history including: French Revolution， founding of the U。S。， formation of the Italian state， Civil War， Nazi Germany， current period。 Throughout， Freemasonry sought to bond its members into a brotherhood through secret symbols and rituals。 Freemasonry rode the tide of the expansion of the British Empire。 Although it's not captivating reading and there are few memorable characters， you will walk away having learned something。 。。。more

Gionysius ，

For over a decade （almost 2 actually） I have been squaring the Masonic circle， as an outsider （or， as I learned from this book， a 'Cowan'）。 The world and history of the Masons seemed a puzzle that was impossible to solve。 It started in my late teens when I first discovered all these illuminati-type conspiracies online。 Luckily for me I never got suckered into any of the crazier ones， otherwise I might've turned into one of those cooks who believe in satanic pedophiles and Qanonsense。 Over the ye For over a decade （almost 2 actually） I have been squaring the Masonic circle， as an outsider （or， as I learned from this book， a 'Cowan'）。 The world and history of the Masons seemed a puzzle that was impossible to solve。 It started in my late teens when I first discovered all these illuminati-type conspiracies online。 Luckily for me I never got suckered into any of the crazier ones， otherwise I might've turned into one of those cooks who believe in satanic pedophiles and Qanonsense。 Over the years I instead picked up， and hold onto to this day， a mixture of admiration and fascination with the Masons， who seemed to pop up in almost every conspiracy and modern history。 It took many years， and piles of books， for any tangible image of Freemasonry to take form in my mind。 Seperating fact from fiction is a tough thing to do when it involves an institution that is based almost entirely on myth and allegory。 Ofcourse， there have been rotten apples within the Masonic establishment， sometimes in leading positions。 But to reject Freemasonry altogether is rather short-sight， the equivalent of rejecting politics and government because of such rotten apples like Trump or Kim Jong-Un。 Freemasonry， like politics， is not inherently “evil”， it is a powerful tool that can be used for any kind of purpose。 That being said， this is a great book。 Well researched and pleasantly written。 I wish I had read this 10 years ago。 Let's hope this ancient institution isn't done with the world just yet。 Because it seems to me that what the world is lacking right now， is exactly the things Freemasonry holds in high regard。 Brotherhood that transcends politics and religion。 Wisdom and the preservation thereof。 Freedom from ignorant tyranny。 And of course the realization of individual strength。 “Given time Freemasonry can make the spark in a good man a blazing fire” 。。。more

Morgan McMahon ，

I found the slander about Albert Pike disappointing。 To all willing to think with an open mind， let me remind them， there is no direct proof that Pike was racist or involved with the KKK。 The author so self-righteously states that Pike was racist as some kind of accepted fact。 The “letters” he references are not proven to be written by Pike， and widely considered forgeries。 Anti-Masonic misinformation is quite abundant。 Unless you have actual proof that Pike wrote these supposed statements， you I found the slander about Albert Pike disappointing。 To all willing to think with an open mind， let me remind them， there is no direct proof that Pike was racist or involved with the KKK。 The author so self-righteously states that Pike was racist as some kind of accepted fact。 The “letters” he references are not proven to be written by Pike， and widely considered forgeries。 Anti-Masonic misinformation is quite abundant。 Unless you have actual proof that Pike wrote these supposed statements， you should stop perpetuating this unsubstantiated claim。 。。。more

Nancy ，

Since I really don't care for European history all that much， a good chunk of this book didn't really hold my interest。 But the parts about the US were very interesting and gave me some good insights into a group my spouse participates with。 Not the easiest of reads， but if you're a Mason you'll likely love it。 Since I really don't care for European history all that much， a good chunk of this book didn't really hold my interest。 But the parts about the US were very interesting and gave me some good insights into a group my spouse participates with。 Not the easiest of reads， but if you're a Mason you'll likely love it。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0