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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：2021-08-11 09:51:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
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  • Author：John Dickie
  • ISBN：1473658225
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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

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

Cathi Stevenson ，

I never would have picked this up without it being a bookclub pick， but I'm glad I did。 Fascinating history of the masons around the world。 John Dickie relayed what I would have found to be a boring topic in a fast paced， interesting way。 I never would have picked this up without it being a bookclub pick， but I'm glad I did。 Fascinating history of the masons around the world。 John Dickie relayed what I would have found to be a boring topic in a fast paced， interesting way。 。。。more

Graham W ，

Enjoyed this book very much。 Dickie has done a tremendous amount of research into Freemasonry。 Each chapter is packed with vivid historical events that are illustrated through superb and descriptive storytelling。 This is the second book by John Dickie that I’ve read。 I am looking forward to buying some of his other works。

Stephen Curran ，

Book was a bit tedious in places but I am glad I read it。

Arzu ，

Drei Sterne für die Fülle an Fakten， die John Dickie für dieses Buch zusammengetragen hat。 Unter anderem， dass es bereits im 18。 Jh。 afroamerikanische Freimaurerlogen gab， die einen wesentlichen Teil zur Abschaffung der Sklaverei beigetragen haben。 Was mich allerdings in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches ungemein gestört hat， waren die sich ständig wiederholenden Bemerkungen des Autors， dass Freimaurer ja zum Großteil rechtschaffende normale Bürger seien， die nach den Grundsätzen der Freiheit， Gleic Drei Sterne für die Fülle an Fakten， die John Dickie für dieses Buch zusammengetragen hat。 Unter anderem， dass es bereits im 18。 Jh。 afroamerikanische Freimaurerlogen gab， die einen wesentlichen Teil zur Abschaffung der Sklaverei beigetragen haben。 Was mich allerdings in der zweiten Hälfte des Buches ungemein gestört hat， waren die sich ständig wiederholenden Bemerkungen des Autors， dass Freimaurer ja zum Großteil rechtschaffende normale Bürger seien， die nach den Grundsätzen der Freiheit， Gleichheit und Brüderlichkeit zu streben bemüht sind。 Das hinterlässt insbesondere einen faden Beigeschmack， wenn der Autor zwischendurch erwähnt， dass sein Großvater ebenfalls Freimaurer war。 Ich hatte mir mit diesem Buch nicht erhofft， zu hören， dass alle Freimaurer ja doch nur Dämonen beschwören und Kinderblut trinken。 Ebensowenig brauche ich aber eine im Verlauf des Buches zunehmende Beweihräucherung der Freimaurerei。 。。。more

Meimei2805 ，

Ich habe dieses Buch immer as Bettlektüre gelesen， aber nicht， weil es zum Einschlafen war。 Manche Unterkapitel waren sehr spannend und haben mich zu kleinen Hintergundinformationensuchen über einzelne Personen gebracht。 Tatsächlich ist das umfassende Werk gut， verständlich und interessant geschrieben， so dass man nicht immer das Gefühl hat， ein wissenschaftliches Buch zu lesen。 Das macht es sehr entspannend。 Man bekommt ja trotzdem eine geballte Ladung Wissen vermittelt。Wenn man etwas ersnthaft Ich habe dieses Buch immer as Bettlektüre gelesen， aber nicht， weil es zum Einschlafen war。 Manche Unterkapitel waren sehr spannend und haben mich zu kleinen Hintergundinformationensuchen über einzelne Personen gebracht。 Tatsächlich ist das umfassende Werk gut， verständlich und interessant geschrieben， so dass man nicht immer das Gefühl hat， ein wissenschaftliches Buch zu lesen。 Das macht es sehr entspannend。 Man bekommt ja trotzdem eine geballte Ladung Wissen vermittelt。Wenn man etwas ersnthaftes über die Geschichte der Freimaurer wissen möchte， ist dies ein geeignetes Werk。 Oder vielleicht für Autoren， die etwas mehr Informationen über dieses Bund für ihre eigenen Geschichten erfahren möchten und es akkurat darstellen wollen。 Es lohnt sich， es im Bücherregal zu haben。 Einige Personen werden genauer vorgestellt und diese sind mir dann auch eher in Erinnerung geblieben （wie z。B。 den Chevalier d'Eon）。 Einige Aussagen/Formulierungen des Autors fand ich auch amüsant （z。B。 " Das Amerika der 1950er und frühen 1960er Jahre fürchtete sich vor nicht wenigen Dingen， vor Kommunisten unter dem Bett zum Beispiel， russischen Atombomben， Marsmenschen und Teenagern。"） Eine sehr zu empfehlene Lektüre。Ein kleiner Mangel am Werk tritt durch die Übersetzung auf。 Manche Sätze sind seltsam fomrmuliert - mir fiel es deshalb auf， weil ich genau diesen falschen Satzbau oft verwende und mein Mann beim Korrekturlesen wichtiger Schreiben mich auf diesen Fehler hinweist。 Vermutlich hat die Übersetzerin den Satzbau aus dem Englischen übernommen， in dem es so funktioniert。 Im Deutschen klang es für mich stelzig bzw。 ich bin über die Sätze gestolpert und habe mich gewundert， was mich daran stört。 Es sind keine gravierenden Fehler （ein kleines Beispiel: "Als John Coustos in Konflikt geriet mit der portugiesischen Inquisition， 。。。" - schöner bzw runder würde es klingen: "Als John Coustos mit der portugiesischen Inquisition in Konflikt geriet， 。。。"）。 Aber zum Glück taucht es nur wenige Male auf und ändert nichts am Lesewert des Buches。 。。。more

Mike ，

Interesting how the biggest secret of Masonry is that there really aren’t any secrets。 Slow but interesting history of a fraternity that’s been a convenient punching bag for centuries。

Molly Huff ，

I really enjoyed this book， and any armchair conspiracy theorist worth their salt will as well。 Stunningly researched and painstakingly organized， this book is the next installment on the Freemason's shelf。 I really enjoyed this book， and any armchair conspiracy theorist worth their salt will as well。 Stunningly researched and painstakingly organized， this book is the next installment on the Freemason's shelf。 。。。more

Brad Revell ，

My review is here: https://www。bradrevell。com/2020/11/th。。。 My review is here: https://www。bradrevell。com/2020/11/th。。。 。。。more

Omar Ali ，

An excellent and balanced history of freemasonry。 Debunks many conspiracy theories， provides a lot of excellent information。 Well worth reading。

Joanna ，

Über die Freimaurer erzählt man sich vieles。 Doch was davon ist wahr， was ist nur die Idee eines Verschwörungstheoretikers？ Wer sind die Freimaurer überhaupt und was tun sie？Dies alles und noch mehr einiges mehr greift Dickie in seinem wunderbar leicht zu lesenden Werk auf。 Er baut sein Buch logisch auf und beginnt am Anfang， um sich dann Stück für Stück in die Gegenwart vorzuarbeiten。Dabei erzählt er von der Geschichte， den Symbolen， wichtigen Mitgliedern des Geheimbundes （der gar nicht so gehe Über die Freimaurer erzählt man sich vieles。 Doch was davon ist wahr， was ist nur die Idee eines Verschwörungstheoretikers？ Wer sind die Freimaurer überhaupt und was tun sie？Dies alles und noch mehr einiges mehr greift Dickie in seinem wunderbar leicht zu lesenden Werk auf。 Er baut sein Buch logisch auf und beginnt am Anfang， um sich dann Stück für Stück in die Gegenwart vorzuarbeiten。Dabei erzählt er von der Geschichte， den Symbolen， wichtigen Mitgliedern des Geheimbundes （der gar nicht so geheim ist） und zerlegt auch Vorurteile und Hirngespinste。 Daneben beschreibt er aber auch die negativen Aspekte und Taten der Freimaurer， sodass sich ein ausgewogenes Werk ergibt， das nicht urteilt， sondern nur Wissen vermitteln will。Und das schafft der Autor hervorragend。 Ich konnte dank dieser Lektüre so viel Neues über die Freimaurer erfahren und entdeckte dabei auch sehr viel Verblüffendes。 Man merkt Dickie an， dass er sich für die Materie interessiert und dem Thema gespannt und aufopferungsvoll gefolgt ist。Der Schreibstil ist neutral und wie erwähnt， sehr gut lesbar。 Weder zu simpel， noch zu anstrengend。 Auf diese Art und Weise eignet sich das Buch für alle Interessierten: für Laien， wie auch für jene， die sich bereits in der Materie auskennen。Auch die Aufmachung ist nicht übel， immer wieder werden Bilder eingefügt， sodass man sich das Gelesene auch besser vor Augen führen kann。 Ein Buch， das sich definitiv seinen Platz in der Referenzliteratur zum Thema der Freimaurer erobern wird， da bin ich mir sicher。 Ich habe die Lektüre mehr genossen， als erwartet， und dafür danke ich NetGalley und dem Fischer Verlag für die Bereitstellung des Leseexemplares。 。。。more

Ashleys Bücherkabinett ，

📚BUCH 61/2020📚。Vielen lieben Dank an @netgalleyde und @sfischerverlage für das Rezensionsexemplar！ 🥰。Da ich schon seit Kindesbeinen an totale Faszination für die #freimaurer hege， musste ich dieses Buch unbedingt lesen！Und ich kann sagen， für jeden， der Interesse an diesem Thema hat， kann ich das Buch #diefreimaurer #dermächtigstegeheimbundderwelt von #johndickie definitiv empfehlen！ 👍🏻Es ist extrem umfangreich， dabei aber nicht langweilig， sondern super interessant und informativ！ 😍Egal ob es u 📚BUCH 61/2020📚。Vielen lieben Dank an @netgalleyde und @sfischerverlage für das Rezensionsexemplar！ 🥰。Da ich schon seit Kindesbeinen an totale Faszination für die #freimaurer hege， musste ich dieses Buch unbedingt lesen！Und ich kann sagen， für jeden， der Interesse an diesem Thema hat， kann ich das Buch #diefreimaurer #dermächtigstegeheimbundderwelt von #johndickie definitiv empfehlen！ 👍🏻Es ist extrem umfangreich， dabei aber nicht langweilig， sondern super interessant und informativ！ 😍Egal ob es um die Entstehung der Freimaurer geht， die Prägung der Weltgeschichte durch diesen Geheimbund oder die internen Riten und Leitsätze。 Man beendet das Buch und könnte meinen， man wäre selbst mal ein Mitglied dieses Bundes gewesen 🤩👍🏻Viele Fragen， die ich hatte， wurden beantwortet。 Es gibt so viele Sachen in der Geschichte der Freimaurer， die mich schockiert haben oder die ich bemerkenswert finde。 Und trotz des großen politischen Zusammenhangs （ich hasse Politik und finde sowas einfach super öde） hat mein Interesse keinen Abbruch genommenen 😍🙌🏻Bewertung: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Sterne 。。。more

Thomas ，

I only knew the Masons as a harmless mens club that frequently shows up as a target for conspiracy theorists。 It turns out that view is mostly accurate， but all too superficial。 The hallmark of Masonry has historically been tolerance of political and religious difference （I'm not so sure about sports） and this is what has made it so influential， and at the same time a lightning rod。 Its "secrecy" fascinates conspiracy theorists， and its tolerance infuriates fascists。The chapter on the gender-ben I only knew the Masons as a harmless mens club that frequently shows up as a target for conspiracy theorists。 It turns out that view is mostly accurate， but all too superficial。 The hallmark of Masonry has historically been tolerance of political and religious difference （I'm not so sure about sports） and this is what has made it so influential， and at the same time a lightning rod。 Its "secrecy" fascinates conspiracy theorists， and its tolerance infuriates fascists。The chapter on the gender-bending Chevalier d'Éon is worth reading alone， perhaps with the last chapter on how 'ndrangeta， the Calabrian mafia， co-opted and used the Masonic social structure to branch out and support their criminal enterprise。 Dickie's writing is eminently readable and compelling。 The overall picture of Masonry here is overwhelmingly positive， but no organization that has survived for so many centuries can stay completely innocent。 。。。more

Nicoletta LaSirenissima ，

Über 500 Seiten geballtes Wissen über die Freimaurer。Mich hat diese Thematik sehr interessiert und ich durfte in dieses Buch schauen。Als jemand der auch gerne Dan Brown gelesen hat kann ich nur sagen， das Herr Dickie sein Handwerk sehr gut versteht und man nicht das Gefühl hat ein Sachbuch über die Freimaurer zu lesen sondern tatsächlich eher einen Roman。Ein sehr gut geschriebenes ， informatives Buch。Vielen Dank， das ich es lesen durfte 。

Sarah83 sbookshelf ，

Fast jeder Mensch， der das Wort "Freimaurer" hört， hat unbewusst oder vielleicht auch bewusst gewisse Vorstellungen， was er mit den Freimaurern verbindet。Lasst es euch gesagt sein， mindestens die Hälfte， die ihr zu wissen glaubt， stimmt entweder gar nicht oder nur der absolute Grundgedanke ist wirklich wahr。Denn allein auf Grund der vermeintlichen Geheimhaltungsregel innerhalb des Bundes ist es im Lauf der Jahrhunderte dazu gekommen， dass sich viele Mythen um den Bund und seine Aufgaben gebildet Fast jeder Mensch， der das Wort "Freimaurer" hört， hat unbewusst oder vielleicht auch bewusst gewisse Vorstellungen， was er mit den Freimaurern verbindet。Lasst es euch gesagt sein， mindestens die Hälfte， die ihr zu wissen glaubt， stimmt entweder gar nicht oder nur der absolute Grundgedanke ist wirklich wahr。Denn allein auf Grund der vermeintlichen Geheimhaltungsregel innerhalb des Bundes ist es im Lauf der Jahrhunderte dazu gekommen， dass sich viele Mythen um den Bund und seine Aufgaben gebildet haben。Viele Probleme， die durch den Bund entstanden sein sollen， sind gar nicht die Schuld des Bundes， sondern entweder der jeweiligen Zeit oder sogar einer Splittergruppe geschuldet。Das Buch mit seinen 560 Seiten kommt nicht gerade schmal daher und doch ist es so， dass das Buch nicht viel kürzer sein dürfte， um seinen Zweck zu erfüllen。Aufklärung über die Freimaurer zu leisten und die Geschichte so zu erzählen， wie sie sich abgespielt hat。Die Kapitel des Buches widmen sich jeweils einem Land und einer entsprechenden Zeit in der Geschichte， wobei die Kapitel über einen längeren Zeitraum in dem Land berichten。Immer im Bezug auf den historischen Kontext und in möglichst verständlicher und strukturierter Sprache führt John Dickie uns in die Geheimnisse um die Gründung der Freimaurer ein und zeigt uns an verschiedenen Stellen im Buch deutlich auf， warum es so oft zu Missverständnissen in Bezug auf die Freimaurer kommt。Mit historischen Bildern werden uns Personen vorgestellt oder es werden Ereignisse untermauert und der Leser erhält einen umfangreichen Einblick in einen Geheimbund， der bis heute Bestand hat。Ich will nicht abstreiten， dass das Buch trotz allem nicht leicht zu lesen ist。 Eine schier unglaubliche Masse an Informationen ist in das Buch gepackt worden， was den Leser wirklich in seinem Wissen nach vorne bringt。 Man muss sich aber bewusst sein， dass man für das Buch Zeit und Ruhe braucht， um die Fakten zu verarbeiten und mit dem abzugleichen， was man bisher über die Freimaurer wusste。In meinen Augen ist es auch wichtig， eine gewisse geschichtliche Grundbildung und dafür ein Interesse zu haben， da das Buch einem ansonsten sehr lang vorkommen kann。 。。。more

Carl ，

Very well written。 It's rare to find a book on it about masonry that is well written so that is a plus。 It provides an excellent overview， globally， for anyone not familiar with masonry and -- this is key -- without the inevitable romanticism of a Freemason author of the suspicion of a conspiracist。 When friends ask me what they should read on Freemasonry （especially if they are not necessarily interested in petitioning for membership） I will recommend this book。 For those with the background: t Very well written。 It's rare to find a book on it about masonry that is well written so that is a plus。 It provides an excellent overview， globally， for anyone not familiar with masonry and -- this is key -- without the inevitable romanticism of a Freemason author of the suspicion of a conspiracist。 When friends ask me what they should read on Freemasonry （especially if they are not necessarily interested in petitioning for membership） I will recommend this book。 For those with the background: the most intriguing bit was the historical background to Anderson's Constitutions。 I will be looking into that， particularly the Wren bit， more。 。。。more

Shiva ，

Brilliant book。 As a Mason （and grandson and nephew of masons） really enjoyed the book。 A clear eyed review of Masonic history and influences。

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