History of Freemasonry book

I have been searching for a magazine around the Freemasons for some time, but anything else which i may find, I immediately disqualified, because of an excessive amount of bold text, or unneccessary use of italics for emphasis, or, possibly most telling of, A Lot Of CAPS AND EXCLAMATION MARKS!

Multiple exclamation marks would be the manifestation of a precariously unhinged mind, to explain Terry Pratchett.

I had been browsing within the library if this title caught my attention, both due to what it really stated, and due to the possible lack of drama to th

I had been browsing within the library if this title caught my attention, both due to what it really stated, and due to the possible lack of drama towards the title. Nothing about cults, or even the " new world " order, or conspiracies that control our lives. After I checked the rear and saw it had become suggested as "sane" and "lucid, " coupled with reviews from such normal sources as BBC History Magazine, I had been in.

It was.can a magazine in regards to a secret society be boring? "Dry" may well be a better word. Possibly to combat the hysteria and mythos that typically surround Masonry, Ridley creates inside a staccato, fact-intensive step-by-step style more appropriate for an instructions rather than a historic work. He uses a "only the details, ma'am" style which goes to date from the overdramatic it really drags in places.

Also, Ridley is British, even though he shows a great grasp of European history, his knowledge of the whys and wherefores of yankee history is shockingly missing. I guess I should not be shocking it isn't his country and that he still knows it much better than I realize British history, however the parts he got wrong were so wrong it triggered me to question the precision of other areas from the book.

Would I just read it can? Most likely not, although I would refer to choose passages later on to fact-check or win a disagreement (I love doing that). But simply to get and browse cover to pay for again, most likely not. I am glad I just read it, since i seem like an infinitely more sane knowledge of the fundamentals now, and that i intend to use his bibliography to spring board into further reading through. I'd refer to this as a primer, that is certainly things i tried on the extender for, but it is not quite an enjoyment read.