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Books of Masonic
and/or Scottish Interest
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Book Reviews
Caveat: Volunteers maintain this page. It cannot be guaranteed, therefore, that books will be reviewed on a regular basis. This may mean that books, which have been in print for some time are reviewed some considerable time after the date of publication.
It is clear from the number of comments, official and unofficial, that one of the reasons why people visit the Grand Lodge of Scotland Website is the Book Review Page. The original introduction to this page was in the following terms:
"From time to time books are published in the public domain, which refer to Freemasonry in some way. For the interest, primarily, of Brethren reviews of such books will be posted on this page. The opportunity will be taken, also, to review books which may be of interest to Scots, where'er they be. This is especially the case if such books may be of use to Masonic researchers."
Any book which it is thought worthy of such a review, or has been reviewed elsewhere, or on which a Brother wishes to contribute a review, may be brought to the attention of the WebMaster.
This page was not intended to be a major part of the Website but given the number of books that touch upon the subject of Freemasonry and Scotland's history it has increased in size and importance. At the request of many researchers, therefore, this page has now been sub-divided into four broad subject categories:
Freemasonry and Related Subjects
YearBook of the Grand Lodge of Scotland
Forty-eighth edition 1999. 212 pages. (Paperback) £9.00 post paid.
THE essential reference work for Scottish Masons. An annual update of Lodges, personnel, venues and Office-Bearers, together with a selection of interesting articles.
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"The Elixir and the Stone" by Michael Baigent & Richard Leigh (Penguin Group)
This book's subtitle is "The Tradition of Magic and Alchemy". Many readers will know the authors' previous works including "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" and "The Temple and the Lodge".
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"Born in Blood - The Lost Secrets of freemasonry". By John J Robinson. (Century)
A workmanlike treatise by someone who is not 'on the square' and has had to rely on other published 'exposures'. These limitations notwithstanding, he hits the mark quite often!
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"Freemasonry - A Celebration of the Craft". General Editors: John Hamill and Robert Gilbert. (Greenwich Editions).
There is something for everyone in this feast of a 'Coffee-table' book about Freemasonry, filled with photographs and images to illustrate the enormous diversity of Freemasonry throughout the world.
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"Giordano Bruno - and the Hermetic Tradition". By Frances A Yates. (Published by: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0 226 95007 7. £15.95. Paperback).
Review expected shortly!
Please look back later.
Scottish History
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"The Mark of the Scots" by Duncan A Bruce (Birch Lane Press)
This book details the contribution of Scotsmen and Scotswomen, and their descendants, to the major fields of human endeavour. For anyone interested in the history of the Scots this book is a delight.
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"Tam Blake & Co" by Jim Hewitson (Canongate Press)
Subtitled "The Story of the Scots in America" this book is somewhat similar to the former. There are no specific references to Freemasonry but many of those detailed therein were Freemasons.
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Sons of the Wolf. By Ronald Williams.
Published by House of Lochar.
ISBN: 1 899863 42 7. 1998. £7.99 (Paperback)
A tale of two Clans, Clan MacGregor (Sons of the Wolf or Children of the Mist), that held land in the old way (by sword right, immemorial possession and hereditary right) and Clan Campbell.
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The Black Douglases. By Michael Brown. (Published by Tuckwell Press. Scotland ISBN: 1 86232 036 5. £30.00. Hardback. Also available in paperback)
Review expected shortly!
Please look back later.
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"The Forgotten Monarchy of Scotland" by HRH Prince Michael of Albany (Element Books)
This book, published on 7th May '98, is bound to be controversial as the author attempts to establish that he is the legitimate descendant of Charles Edward Stewart - "Bonnie Prince Charlie!"
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"The Kings and Queens of Scotland"
By Nicolas Best and The National Gallery of Scotland.
What a lovely wee book! It covers in excess of nine centuries, from Duncan I to the present Queen Elizabeth. The main focus of this wee publication is the illustrations.
Speculative History
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"The Hiram Key" by Christopher Knight & Robert Lomas (Arrow Books)
The enduring and romantic belief that the origins of Freemasonry are linked with the demise of the Knights Templar is given a new twist.
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"The Second Messiah". By Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas. (Published by Century Books Limited 1997)
This commentary has been provided by guest reviewer, W Bro Leonard P Belson PM PAGDoC (UGLE) to whom the WebMaster extends his grateful appreciation.
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"The Discovery of The Grail". By Andrew Sinclair. (Random House UK Ltd. London. 1998. ISBN: 0 7126 7729 1. £16.99. Hardback. (now available in paper back))
Review expected shortly!
Please look back later.
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"The Head of God - The Lost Treasure of the Templars". By Keith Laidler. (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
More about the demise of the Knights Templar. The head of God is buried beneath the 'Prentice Pillar (alongside the Holy Grail, Ark of the Covenant, treasure of the lost Templar fleet, etc. . .)
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The Templar Legacy & The Masonic Inheritance within Rosslyn Chapel. By Tim Wallace-Murphy. (Published by "The Friends Of Rosslyn")
An interesting but deeply flawed little book. The author jumps to some amazing conclusions based on very little evidence.
Still, it might be worth buying for the many illustrations of Rosslyn Chapel itself.
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"The Tutankhamun Prophecies". By Maurice Cotterell.
(Published by: Headline Book Publishing. London. 1999. £18.99. ISBN: 0-7472-2216-9)
[Subtitled: The Sacred Secret of the Mayas, Egyptians, and Freemasons.]
Ranging from the Mayas of Central America, the Egyptians, Tutankhamun, U.F.O.'s, The Knights Templar, Freemasonry, Sun Spots and how these cause cancers, schizophrenia, affect the rise and fall of civilisations, the human Foetus and the control of the Honey Bee.
General Publications
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"ATLAS OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD (AD 600-1492)".
By John Haywood (with Andrew Jotischky and Sean McGlynn)
Published by Cassell plc. ISBN: 0 304 35042 7. £14.99. (Hardback)
How does one 'visualise' the history of the world? With great difficulty I would suggest. Cassells have produced a series of six books that attempt to do just that. The books utilise the experts from the fields of Cartography, History, Archaeology, Anthropology etc. as well as numerous academics knowledgeable in particular Cultures, Civilisations and periods.
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"ABBEYS AND MONASTERIES".
By Derry Brabbs. Published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson. (The Orion Publishing Group)
ISBN: 0 297 82495 3. 1999 .160 pages. £15.99. (Hardback)
An American friend of mine, when visiting these islands said; "I have never seen so many piles of old rock in the one place!" This was not a disparaging remark but simply a jocular remark on my fascination with ruined Abbeys. It implied, also, that I had taken him to see rather too many "piles of old rocks" during the course of his visit. Had I sent to him this book beforehand perhaps he would have been more forgiving of my addiction
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