Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #152031 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
In "Cracking the Freemason's Code", Robert Cooper explains exactly who the Freemasons are and what they do. As the Curator of the Scottish Masonic Museum and Library, the author is in a unique position to reveal the secret history of this elect brotherhood. Prompted by growing public interest and provoked by the controversial stories that circulate about Freemasonry, this is the first time that he has chosen to do so. "Cracking the Freemason's Code" is written with an insider's knowledge and privileged access to archive material, including never-before published images. It lays bare the intriguing symbolism, beliefs and history of the Masons, and explains the structure of Freemasonry, its ethos and connections to other covert societies. It also discloses the identities of famous Masons and the locations of important Masonic sites. This is the book that answers once and for all any questions readers may have about what Freemasonry is and the role it has played in shaping our society.

About the Author
Brother Cooper is the Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and
is an internationally recognized expert on Scottish Freemasonry, the
Knights Templar (in Scotland), Rosslyn Chapel and the Sinclair family. He
is the author of numerous articles on Freemasonry and has also appeared on
television and radio. He has delivered lectures in Masonic Lodges and other
venues (both private and public) in many parts of the world. He is the
author of the best selling titles - The Rosslyn Hoax and Cracking the
Freemason's Code. His forthcoming book The Masonic Magician (co-written
with Philippa Faulks) is about the deeper aspects of Freemasonry as taught
by Count Cagliostro.

Customer Reviews

The Freemasons' Code
Do not be put off by the title and the cover - this is not a 'pulp' production (my mum called then penny dreadfuls!). This is an intelligent and easy to read book about Freemasonry. Most importantly it reveals the Scottish origins of what is now commonly known as the 'Craft'. The author is the Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland and his knowledge shines through in this book. I think that much more could have been made of this - why no hard back book? Why no colour pictures? Why is it so short? Well, I am being picky but the fact remains that this book is what the Americans call 'lite' (as in lite beer( and the book should have been much larger in text and sizr with big colour pictures. That said, this is a good read (I liked the occasional touches of humour) and just gets a three star plus rating. Bigger, better, lots of pictures would got four stars.

Cracking the Freemasons Code
This is dead easy to read. I like the style. Even the bits you'd think would be heavy - like the stuff about the Renaissance and Hermeticism is okay to read. The book is not quite what I expected from the cover but actually it is a pleasant surprise and I learned a lot about Freemasonry from this book. The author obviously knows his subject - so he should given his job! If anything my only criticism is that it is too short. Some of the rreally interesting bits like the chapter on the Free Gardeners (never heard of them? - nor had I) was too short and the stuff on Freemasonry in other countries was way too brief. Some of the pictures are very intriguing and could have been better explained and may be would have been better in colour? I enjoyed this and think the other book the Rosslyn Hoax? might be worth reading as well. Pity I did not know you could buy both as a special deal from Amazon!

Cracking the Code
I read this author's other book The Rosslyn Hoax? when it first came out and enjoyed it a lot (although it is a big book) and so I thought that this would be a good buy as well - and so it was but it is completely different from the other book although the subject is the same - Freemasonry. The main difference between the two is that this is a lot simpler to read and is a very easy read. It is also a lot shorter but still covers a lot of ground. The author again writes from a historical point of view also but it is entertaining and I liked the odd bits of humour. For the money this is a great buy and I enjoyed the pictures (only black and white which is a pity).