Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Renowned Masonic historian, Robert Freke Gould, provides us with a valuable account of the very early days of Speculative Masonry and the lodges which took part in the creation of the Grand Lodge of England. Containing numerous lists and charts, the book is a treasure trove to any student of early Masonic history. This is a photographic reproduction of the 1879 edition of this work.

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.