New Acquisitions for April 2022

A deserving brother: George Washington and Freemasonry by Mark Tabbert (Call No. 921 W27ta)

Mark Tabbert’s years of significant investigation have yielded the most thorough publication on George Washington’s Masonic history. Based on a variety of sources, Tabbert aims at establishing a standard reference work for future research on Washington and the impact of Freemasonry on his life.

He takes great care to incorporate verified details of significant events in his life, such as his inauguration, which involved swearing the oath of office with his hand on the bible of St. John’s Lodge No. 1. This book is the most comprehensive and exhaustive overview of Washington and his Masonic legacy available, and it will be an excellent resource for anybody researching Washington and the fraternity.

Freemasons for dummies, Revised 3rd Edition by Christopher Hodapp  (M00.1 H66 2022)

The latest edition of Bro. Christopher  Hodapp’s book provides readers interested in answering their questions and curiosities about the ancient fraternal order and the mysterious aspects of Freemasonry. Those who have previously read Freemasonry for Dummies will not defect major changes aside from updated membership statistics, information about joint recognition of  Prince Hall lodges, and further developments in Freemasonry in the recent past.
At the culmination of the second section of the Fellowcraft degree, prior to entering the symbolic “middle chamber” of King Solomon’s Temple, the Craftsman must ascend a flight of winding stairs, where important lessons are bestowed upon the Craftsman for future reflection and study. Unfortunately, few Craftsman have undertaken the study of the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences, perhaps due to the fact that few books have taken an in-depth look at the seven liberal arts and sciences. Lamb’s book is well-researched and very approachable for those looking to explore how the Seven Liberal Arts and Sciences related to Freemasonry and other esoteric traditions. This book is an instant classic and a must-read for anyone who has treaded upon the flight of winding stairs to the middle chamber.
These books and more are available to read by all patrons in our reading room and can be loaned to all New York State Freemasons in good standing registered for borrowing privileges. To register for borrowing privileges please complete our reader Registration Form.
If you would like to request a book or have additional questions, please
contact the librarian by email at Jpatzner@nymasoniclibrary.org or by phone at (212) 337-6623.

 

Recent Acquisitions to Our E-Book Collection (July 2020)

We are continually adding new titles to our physical and digital collection and below are a few of the highlights available through our e-library on Odilo. Click the links below each book’s synopsis to preview the book in Odilo.

Note: For Masons in New York State, If you are interested in receiving borrowing privileges or check your library registration status please contact our Librarian at, Jpatzner@nymasoniclibrary.org  or Call (212)-337-6620.  

Schism by Ric Berman (E-Book)

This book examines the creation of the Antients Grand Lodge and traces the influence of Ireland and the London Irish, especially that of Laurence Dermott, the Antients’ Grand Secretary, in the development of freemasonry in the second half of the 18th century. It demonstrates the relative accessibility of the Antients and contrasts this with the exclusivity of the ‘Moderns’–the original Grand Lodge of England. The Antients instigated what became a six decades-long rivalry with the Moderns and pioneered fundamental changes to the social composition of freemasonry, extending formal sociability to the lower middling and working classes and creating one of the first modern friendly societies. “Schism” does not stand solely as an academic work but introduces the subject to a wider Masonic and non-Masonic audience and supplements dated historical works. The book contributes to the history of London and the London Irish in the long 18th century and examines the social and trade networks of the urban lower middling and the working-class, subjects that remain substantially unexplored. It also offers a prism through which Britain’s calamitous relationship with Ireland can be examined.

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The Book of Law by Aleister Crowley (E-Book)

The Book of Law is the foundation for readers looking to explore occult texts and understand  Crowley’s belief system of Thelema.

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The Craft How Freemasons Made the Modern World (E-Book)

John Dickie’s The Craft is an enthralling exploration of the world’s most famous and misunderstood secret brotherhood, a movement that not only helped to forge modern society, but has substantial contemporary influence, with 400,000 members in Britain, over a million in the USA, and around six million across the world. Yet the Masons were as feared as they were influential. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Freemasonry has always been a den of devil-worshippers. For Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco, the Lodges spread the diseases of pacifism, socialism, and Jewish influence so had to be crushed. 

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 John Jacob Astor and the First Great American Fortune by Alexander Emmerich (E-Book)

This biography explores M.W. John Jacob Astor’s (Holland Lodge No.8)  rise from poor German immigrant in 1784 to the first modern millionaire Many consider him to be the fourth wealthiest American of all times. Some argued that he must have been greedy and cold. While there were calls for Astor to return his money to the United State many others praised him for his genius and vision.  Astor is the founder of a number of New York’s fine hotels the Astor House and the Waldorf-Astoria, as well as a developer of the American West and a fur trader. Many American cities and sites are named after him.

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The Drillmaster of Valley Forge By  Paul Lockhart (E-Audiobook)

In the first book on Steuben since 1937, Paul Lockhart, an expert on European military history, finally explains the significance of Steuben’s military experience in Europe. Steeped in the traditions of the Prussian army of Frederick the Great-the most ruthlessly effective in Europe-he taught the soldiers of the Continental Army how to fight like Europeans. His guiding hand shaped the army that triumphed over the British at Monmouth, Stony Point, and Yorktown. And his influence did not end with the Revolution. Steuben was instrumental in creating West Point and in writing the “Blue Book”-the first official regulations of the American army. His principles have guided the American armed forces to this day.

Steuben’s life is also a classic immigrant story. A failure in midlife, he uprooted himself from his native Europe to seek one last chance at glory and fame in the New World. In America, he managed to reinvent himself-making his background quite a bit more glamorous than it really was-but redeeming himself by his exceptional service and becoming, in a sense, the man he claimed to be.

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Houdini  by Adam Begley (E-Audiobook)

 

Nobody knows how Houdini performed some of his dazzling, death-defying tricks, and nobody knows, finally, why he felt compelled to punish and imprison himself over and over again. Tracking the restless Houdini’s wide-ranging exploits, acclaimed biographer Adam Begley tells the story of a mystifying man’s astonishing career.

Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, Houdini grew up an impoverished Jewish immigrant in the Midwest and became world-famous thanks to talent, industry, and ferocious determination. He concealed as a matter of temperament and professional ethics the secrets of his sensational success.

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