Exposes of Freemasonry
"A Mason's Examination"
in the "The Flying Post or Post Master", April 11 & 13, 1723.
"The Grand Mystery of Freemasons Discovered"
London, 1724.
"The Secret History of Freemasonry"
London, 1724.
"The Whole Institution of Free-Masons Opened"
?, 1725.
"The Grand Mystery of the Free Masons Discover'd, Wherein are
the Several Questions Put to Them at Their Meetings and
Installations, also Their Oath, Health, Signs, Points to Know
Each Other by, etc."
London: (A. Moore?), 1725.
"The Grand Mystery Laid Open, or the Free Masons Signs
and Words Discovered"
?, 1726.
"The Mystery of Freemasonry"
in the "Daily Journal of London", Aug. 15 & 18, 1730,
in the "Pennsylvania Gazette" Dec. 5 to 8, 1730.
"Masonry Dissected"
by Samuel Pritchard,
London, 1730,
several later editions,
German translation, 1736,
French translation, 1737.
"The Secrets of Masonry Made Known to all Men"
by Samuel Pritchard,
London 1737.
"The Mystery of Masonry"
London, 1737.
"The Mysterious Receptions of the Celebrated Society of Freemasons"
London, 1737.
"Masonry Further Dissected"
by Samuel Pritchard (?)
London, 1738.
"Le Secret des Franc-Macons"
par l'Abbe Perau,
Geneve, 1742.
"Catechisme des Franc-Macons"
par Leonard Gaganon (Louis Travenol)
Paris, 1745,
several editions, under different titles.
"L'ordre de Franc-Macons Trahi et le Secret des Mopses Revele"
Amsterdam, 1745,
German translation,
Dutch translation,
several subsequent editions.
"La Macon Demarque"
?, 1751.
"The Freemason Examin'd"
by Alex Slade,
London, 1754.
"The Secrets of the Free Masons Revealed"
by "a disgusted brother"
London, 1759.
"A Master Key to Freemasonry"
?, 1760.
"The Three Distinct Knocks"
?, 1760.
"Hiram, or the Grand Master Key"
London, 1764.
"Solomon in All His Glory"
?, 1766.
"The Freemason Stripped Naked"
by Charles Warren,
London, 1769.
"Receuil Precieux de la Maconnerie Adonhiramite"
by Louis Guillemain de Saint Victors,
Paris, 1781.
"Ritual der Verbesserten Freimaurerei, Enthaltend die Ceremonien
bey der Aufnahme"
von Johann Joachim Christoph Bode,
Weimar, 1788,
expanded edition,
Weimar 1792.
"The Master Key"
by I. Brown,
London, 1794.
"A Masonic Treatise, with an Elucidation on the Religious and Moral
Beauties of Freemasonry, etc."
by W. Finch,
London, 1801.
"The Cat Out of the Bag"
London, 1824, 1825.
"Manual of Freemasonry"
by Richard Carlisle,
?, 1825.
"Illustrations of Masonry, by One of the Fraternity Who Has Devoted
Years to the Subject."
by William Morgan,
Le Roy, New York, 1826.
"Illustrations of Masonry, by One of the Fraternity Who Has Devoted
Years to the Subject, with an Acount of the Kidnapping of the
Author."
second edition,
Le Roy, New York, 1827.
[Around this time, all degrees, up to the Knight Templar of the York rite, and 33rd degree of the A.A.S.R. were performed publically by Freemasons holding the respective degrees; see the note below.]
"Light on Masonry"
by David Bernard,
Utica, New York, 1829.
"Ritual und Aufdecklung der Freimaurerei der Gesellschaften der
Oranienmaurer und Seltsamen Gesellen, mit Vielen Bildern,...Aus
Englischen Schriften Gezogen von einem Freunde des Lichts"
Leipzig: Leopold Michelsen, 1838.
"A Ritual of Freemasonry"
by Avery Allyn,
New York, New York, 1852.
"Richardson's Monitor of Freemasonry"
by Benjamin Henry Day,
Philadelphia: David McKay, 1861 (?).
"Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor or Guide to the Three Symbolic
Degrees of the Ancient York Rite, and the Degrees of Mark Master,
Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and the Royal Arch"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
third edition,
New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1866,
"Ecce Oriente; an Epitome of the History of the Ancient Essenes,
Their Rites and Ceremonies of the Essenes; Followed by the
Ritual of the Modern Order of the Essenes"
by M. Wolcott Redding,
New York: Redding & Co., 1870.
"Ecce Oriente; or Rites and Ceremonies of the Essenes"
by M. Wolcott Redding,
New York: Redding & Co., 1872,
National Series editions in 1872, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1881,
1883, 1885, 1887,.... 1949,
more than 29 editions overall,
the 28th edition mentions E.C. Cozzens.
"Duncan's Rituale der Freimaurerei, Oder Fuhrer Durch die Drei
Symbolischen Grade des Alten Yourk Ritus; die Lehrlings, Gesellen,
und Meister Maurer Grades"
von Malcolm C. Duncan,
New York: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1875.
"Light on Freemasonry: Revised Edition"
by David Bernard,
Dayton, Ohio: W. J. Shueys, 1874.
"The Ritual Containing the Work, Lectures, and Monotorial of
the E.A., F.C., and M.M. Degrees. Arranged and Compiled from
the Standard Lodge Work"
New York: Masonic Book Agency, 1877.
"The Ritual of the Chapter, Containing the Work, Lectures, and
Monotorial of the M.M., P.M., M.E.M. and R.A. Degrees. Arranged
and Compiled from the Standard R. A. Work"
by H. Wilkinson (?),
New York: Masonic Book Agency, 1878.
"Revised Knight Templarism Illustrated"
by Ezra A. Cook,
Chicago, 1879.
"Scotch Rite Masonry Illustrated"
by Jonathan Blanchard,
Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, 1882,
subsequent editions, 1890, 1930.
"Freemasonry Illustrated"
by Jacob O. Doesburg,
Chicago: Ezra A. Cook, 1886.
"King Solomon and His Followers, (N.Y.) a Valuable Aid to the
Memory"
by James Alexander Gavitt, (and C. Gavitt?),
New York: Allen Publishing Company,
between 1896,
and 1949, more than 22 editions.
"More Light: A Ritual of the Three Symbolic Degrees"
New York, 1896.
"Revised Knight Templarism Illustrated"
by Ezra A. Cook,
Chicago, second edition, 1904.
"Duncan's Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masonic Ritual and Monitor"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
New York: Fitzgerald Publishing Corp, 1922.
"Duncan's Royal Arch Ancient, Free, and Accepted Masonic Ritual and
Monitor"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
New York: Fitzgerald Publishing Corp, 1922.
"Darkness Visible; A Revelation and Interpretation
of Freemasonry"
by Walter Hannah,
London, 1952
"Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor or Guide to the Three Symbolic
Degrees of the Ancient York Rite, and the Degrees of Mark Master,
Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and the Royal Arch"
by Malcolm C. Duncan,
third edition,
New York: Mc Kay, 1976.
"The Freemasons, etc."
London and New York, 1978 (?)
"Emulation Ritual"
Revised, 1991
London: Lewis Masonic Co., 1991
Here is a quotation from the Masonic Service Association...
"Some exposes were written out of revenge; Morgan's, for instance. Others may have been composed from a real desire to serve Freemasons by making it easy to learn ritual. Duncan boasts that nothing in his compilation will aid the uninitiated to gain entrance to a lodge. All, however, have been too generally regarded as harmful by those Masons to whom the secrecy of the institution is the be-all and end-all, to whom ritual is sacrosanct, and who believe any unobligated man who knows any of the ritualistic secrets is necessarily an enemy of the Fraternity and able to destroy it.
"Far from the truth are such impressions. With dozens of exposes printed; with hundreds to be bought for a few cents; with this cancer existing for more than two hundred years, would not Freemasonry have been long ago been destroyed if these books were actually as harmful as so many supposed? Actually Freemasonry has grown from a handful of men in 1717 to five million in the civilized world, neither because of, or in spite of exposes..."
The above books are not a threat, but many times are the only clues to accurate research in Freemasonry.
Above it was mentioned that the degrees of American Freemasonry, to the top of the York rite, and to the upper reaches of the A.A.S.R., (which degrees were published as "Richardson's Monitor", around 1861), were all performed publicly in 1827-9. We'll quote from a document below, "The Report Respecting the Authenticity of the Masonic Disclosures, Made to the New York State Convention, February 21, 1839." (This report is found in a collection of 27 essays, addresses, reports, entitled, "Opinions on Speculative Freemasonry,..." and compiled by James C. Odiorne, 1830.
"In relation to the truth of the disclosures made at Le Roy, at the period stated in your resolution, your committee have been enabled to receive from three persons of high reputation, who have taken all the degrees, such a statement of attendant facts and circumstances as none can doubt the general correctness and truth of the general disclosures... The Royal Arch degree as published, was obtained through an authentic source, directly from Jeremy L. Cross, Grand Lecturer of the United States... "
"That in addition to the three degrees of Masonry revealed by William Morgan, and twelve degrees disclosed by the convention of seceding Masons at Le Roy on the 4th and 5th of July last, your committee would beg leave to state that the Elder David Bernard, late Secretary of the Lodge of Perfection, and one of the seceding masons at Le Roy, is about to publish the "Eleven Ineffable Degrees" conferred in the Lodge of Perfection, and also seven French of a still higher order of Masonry; the authenticity cannot reasonably be doubted. ...one of the degrees now revealed, namely, the "Knights Adepts of the Eagle, or Sun"..."
