Freemason's Guide and Compendium, New and Revised Edition

Freemason' Guide and Compendium by Bernard E JonesThis wonderful reference book was first published in 1950 and the latest edition was published in 2006. A book that has been in more or less constant reprint for almost 60 years tells you something about the need for such a reference and its ability to meet a continuous demand.At first sight the book looks a little daunting at over 600 pages, but don't be put off by that: it's not a book that's intended to be read from the beginning to the end in one continuous study. Rather it is a book to dip into and savour. The author has included a very good list of contents and a detailed index. Almost all that you could ever want to know about Freemasonry, albeit from a very UGLE perspective, can be found therein.The book is divided up into six main parts: Operative Masonry and the London Company of Freemasonry; How Speculative Freemasonry came into being; the early English Grand Lodges; our Craft Degrees; our Lodges, Lodge officers, Regalia, paraphernalia and festive boards; and Royal Arch, Mark and other Degrees.As I write this review I am being constantly distracted and side-tracked by this wonderful compendium - I almost wrote companion, for that is what this book could quickly become. You spot something on a page, follow it up in the index, check it out against another reference book, then back here by which time you have started another thread - a little like the World-Wide Web, but on paper.One thing that caught my eye was about smoking in Lodge. Jones tells us that at one time smoking in the Lodge was quite common, but that the Lodge of Antiquity had a rather complex bye-law determining when Brethren could and couldn't smoke. The Grand Lodge of York in 1725 (and, yes there is a whole section on this early rival Grand Lodge) said in its rules that "The bowl shall be filled at the Monthly Lodge with Punch once; Ale, Bread and Cheese, and Tobacco in common; but if any more shall be called for by any Brother, either for eating and drinking, that Brother shall pay for it himself, besides his club (his share of the cost of the common board)."This book is spending less and less time on my bookshelf and more and more time on my desk. An essential for any Masonic scholar.

Good read even for a seasoned mason

This is a book for someone who wants the true background and not the "Storybook Conspiracy" versions.It is a book used by scholars on the subject. 600 pages, very detailed.

Bernard E. Jones (1879 - 1965), a Freemason of fifty years, living in Sussex, England, was widely recognized as a great authority on the history, beliefs and symbols of Freemasonry. In the "Freemason' Guide and Compendium" Worshipful Br. Jones has given us a most excellent and detailed reference to the Craft.The "Freemason' Guide and Compendium" was first published in 1950, and is very well-written and amazingly detailed.The book is divided into six main sections:1-Operative Masonry and the London Company2-Speculative Masonry3-The Grand Lodges (1717 - 1813)4-The Craft Degrees and Other Matters5-The Lodge and Many Related Subjects6-The Royal Arch, Mark Masonry, and Additional DegreesThere are also 31 illustrated plates, and numerous other illustrations throughout the text.There is so much in the "Freemason' Guide and Compendium" that it is difficult to describe the breadth of its content, and yet for all its amazing content Worshipful Br. Jones continues to hele, conceal, and never reveal an. o. t. scs. ars. prts. o. r. pnts. of. th. hdn. msts. o. fmy.For any Master Mason the "Freemason' Guide and Compendium" is an essential addition to his personal library and to that of the Lodge.An absolutely outstanding book!Highly Recommended!

I have read and digested Bernard E Jones treatise, his guide and compendium and have many times searched through his writings, both in written form and from a photocopied compilation before I obtained my own copy and from a CD. To find answers to questions posed to me concerning Freemasonry, to prepare papers to be delivered at lodge meetings and lodges of instruction, to be able to without restraint recommend Jones books to anyone seeking to learn of the early and some times trying times of the Craft in and before 1717. His writing I find is concise and I believe well researched. The reader has to remember that while his views are written honestly, a lot of what is said is related to the Masonry of The United Kingdom. While this should not be a deterrent, it has to be weighted against how it is perceived in their own Grand Lodge which might be outside the influence of the UGLE.

This book is thorough, and excellently composed for those across the Pond, but it is decidedly less thorough when it comes to the markedly different and distinct allegories and traditions of American Lodges. If you are interested primarily in historical aspects of the Craft, then this book is still of considerable value. For more information on our uniquely American practice of Freemasonry, additional resources will be needed.In short, it is an outstanding piece on the historical lodges, and our ancient brethren. For the cowans who will try to glean any of the Light reserved for the Initiated, you will be disappointed. There be no "secrets" here.Fraternally,KW

This is not a quick read by any means. This will take anyone a while to get through. It is a very interesting speculation of how operative masonry became speculative masonry. This is written by an Englishman who has spent years preparing for this book and even though it was first published in the 50's, it is quite relevant today. I highly recommend it. It provides a number of insights to the origination of some of the arcane words we use today.

Exactly what was needed to make a daily advancement.

Decent read

This book arrived well before expected and in pristine (as new) conditon.

recomendo

Came ahead of schedule very happy!