101 Things You Didn't Know about the Freemasons

Barb Karg
and John K. Young, Ph.D.

I'll admit: I thought this was going to be a totally useless waste of a few dollars but, in order to stay up with the current literature, when I saw it in a local bookstore I tossed it in my basket. It was mostly a good decision.

What I didn't realize at the time was that I also owned the 'parent' book to this one. This is an adapted version of the book which was jointly authored by Young and Karg (credits equal and names reversed as differentiated from this work) titled "The Everything Freemasons Book: Unlock the Secrets of This Ancient And Mysterious Society!" I found that work to be FAR inferior to the newest arrivals on the market the year earlier (Chris Hodapp's 'Dummies' book and Brent Morris' 'Idiot's' book). It just didn't measure up and although it tried to mimic the cutesy icons and emphasis conventions found in both of those series, this fell flat.

When I returned home and found a review on Amazon, I was even more convinced I'd wasted my money based on a review which pointed out this connection. It took me nearly a year before I picked it up to pan it. Instead, I found a completely different approach, a fresher and more direct writing style, and more concise descriptions and definitions. In short, a FAR better book - and one which wasn't at all what I'd expected.

This is the book that you could easily give someone who has been curious about Freemasonry but who might easily be put off being handed a 'Dummies' or 'Idiots' book. It's very compact (6 1/4" tall by 5 1/2" wide) and fits easily in a car's glove compartment or even a suit coat pocket. For the price ($10-12 in most places), it's inexpensive enough that you won't mind losing a few in the process. The topics are basically free-standing so it can be picked up and put down at a whim.

This is a book with a positive view about Freemasonry but it also notes the warts and pimples of time. Grab a copy: you won't be disappointed!

Five Thumbs Up - with a minor quibble