A Brief History of Freemasons: the true story of the World’s Most Powerful Secret Society:
From the back cover:
An illuminating and unbiased history of this most enigmatic secret society.
“Although some of his relevations are surprising and perhaps controversial, his greatest service is in dispelling many of the myths and fears surrounding freemasonry. This work of popular history shed lights on a frequently obscure subject.” – Book List
“I heartily recommend this book to anyone with an open and enquiring mind” – Freemasonry Today
My take: an apologist’s history of freemasonry.
Considering the consequences of a Freemason breaking his oath of secrecies, the author Jasper Ridley‘s introduction is contradictory:
Although I am not a Freemason, they [the Librarian and staff of the Library and Museum of Freemasonry at Freemason’s Hall in London] allowed me to work in their library on sixty-three days, and gave me the benefit of their expert knowledge and efficient assistance, without, of course, making any effort to influence the opinions about Freemasonry which I would express in my book.
So an extremely secret society gives unrestricted access documentary describing their extremely secret history to write an unbiased history of Freemasonry? Despite the author’s historical credentials, it doesn’t add up.
The book weaves European history with an almost continuous downplaying of Freemasons’ impact on the events (especially when negatively viewed). Claims of a well-known figure of being or not being a Freemason, the uncertainty of certain major historical figures being a Freemason. The growth of Freemasonry over the centuries is described and explained, but the overall impact of Freemasons either played down or discredited. The book makes an inordinate attempt to provide historical background of the time, primarily British but also European history, and then tacks on Freemasonry as a tangent.
I could only stomach 100 pages before I had enough. The book does not read as unbiased, the author did not provide corroborating documentation to confirm/deny the the Freemasons’ documents, and attempts to have Freemasonry be viewed as non-threatening or non-impactful.
Perhaps Freemasons are truly minor players in world history and not as impactful as often believed: I have no personal knowledge one way or the other. However, a historian should know that s/he multiple sources are required to give a well-rounded view, and until this secret society allows public, unfettered, academic analysis of their, this book is nothing more than a fairy tale.
