Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World
Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World
Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World
Description
Description
Discover the "convincingly researched and thoroughly entertaining" (The Wall Street Journal) history of the world's oldest and most influential fraternity Founded in London in 1717 as a way of binding men in fellowship, Freemasonry proved so addictive that within two decades it had spread across the globe. Under George Washington, the Craft became a creed for the new American nation. Under Napoleon, it became a tool of authoritarianism and a cover for revolutionary conspiracy. Later, both the Mormon Church and the Sicilian Mafia would owe their origins to Freemasonry. Yet the Masons were as feared as they were influential, seen by the Catholic Church as a den of devil worship. For Hitler, Mussolini, and Franco, the Lodges spread the diseases of pacifism, socialism, and Jewish influence, so had to be crushed. Freemasonry's story yokes together Winston Churchill and Walt Disney, Wolfgang Mozart and Shaquille O'Neal, Benjamin Franklin and Buzz Aldrin. 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 remains prominent today.
About the Author
About the Author
John Dickie is professor of Italian studies at University College, London. His book Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia is an international bestseller, with over twenty translations, and won the CWA Dagger award for nonfiction. In 2005, the president of the Italian Republic appointed him a Commendatore dell'Ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana. He lives in London.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"At last! A book about Freemasonry that is scholarly and balanced."--Robert L D Cooper (Curator Emeritus of the Grand Lodge of Scotland) and Mark A. Tabbert, (33rd degree), The Masonic Authors' Guild International
"A fascinating tale...Mr. Dickie has turned legend into history."--The Economist
"Convincingly researched and thoroughly entertaining."--The Wall Street Journal
"The Craft is a superb book that often reads like an adventure novel. It's informative, fascinating and often very funny."--The Times (UK)
"The Craft is a shadow history of modernity. Though more sober than most lodge meetings, it is, like its subject, ingenious and frequently bizarre... The Craft is well-crafted and sensible, making good use of English archives which have only recently been opened."-- Spectator
"[John Dickie] takes on this sensational subject with a wry turn of phrase and the cool judgment of a fine historian... I enjoyed this book enormously. Dickie's gaze is both wide and penetrating. He makes a persuasive case for masonry's historic importance."--Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
PublicAffairs
Pub date:
2025-09-23
Length:
496 pages
The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.