37. What reading or viewing do you recommend non-Masons for additional information?
   An enormous number of books have been published about Freemasonry—very variable in quality and reliability. For anyone considering entering Freemasonry, it is best not to read much material ahead of time about Masonic symbolism or the rituals of the Order. Those things are better investigated after they have been experienced at first hand. The following books, however, provide some good and reliable information for those who want it:

Bullock, Steven C. Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730–1840.

Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1996. Pp. xx + 421. A detailed, academic, but highly readable history of Freemasonry in Colonial, Revolutionary, and early Republic days showing the deep influence of Freemasonry on American culture.

MacNulty, W. Kirk. Freemasonry: A Journey through Ritual and Symbol.

London: Thames and Hudson, 1991. Pp. 96. A handsomely illustrated coffee-table book about Masonry, with an informative text.

 

MacNulty, W. Kirk. The Way of the Craftsman: A Search for the Spiritual Essence of Craft Freemasonry.

London: Arkana, 1988. Pp. x + 158. A treatment of Masonry as a spiritual path by a masculine Mason acquainted with both American and British workings of Masonic ritual.

 

Roberts, Allen E. The Craft and Its Symbols:Opening the Door to Masonic Symbolism.

Richmond, VA: Macoy, 1974. An overview of each of the three degrees with comments on their symbolic meanings.

 

Stevenson, David. The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century, 1590–1710.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Pp. xvii + 246. A presentation of evidence that modern Freemasonry began in early Renaissance Scotland.

There are also some informative videos, such as the following:

The Freemasons.

The Secret World Series, vol. 1. Toth and Parsons Productions, 1995. 56 minutes. A video introduction to Freemasonry including an interview with John J. Robinson, author of Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry.

 

Grand Lodge: The Ultimate Tour.

First Degree Productions, 1996. 2 cassettes. A video tour of the building of the Grand Lodge of England in London, including preparations for a meeting in the Grand Temple.