ThisBook
Is A “Must Own!”
Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C.
PO Box 70
Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044-0070
Book Reviews Editor
The Scottish Rite Journal
The
featured book this month is hot off the press. Take my word for it; if
you only buy one book in 2001, this should be it!
Valley of the Craftsmen, A Pictorial History,
Scottish Rite Freemasonry in America’s Southern Jurisdiction 1801-2001
is published by the Supreme Council as part of this year’s great Bicentennial
Celebration of the Scottish Rite’s founding in Charleston, South Carolina,
in 1801. This large-size volume (10½” x 12") is 267 pages long and
beautifully illustrated throughout. The cost is $75.00. Ordering directions
are at the end of this review.
Update: To celebrate the Bicentennial
of the Scottish Rite,
this book is now $45.00 at the
Scottish Rite Online Store
I know $75.00 is a lot of money to pay for a
book, but, believe me, this one is worth it. Valley of the Craftsmen was
guided to completion by Dr. William L. Fox, 33°, former Grand Historian
and Grand Archivist of the Supreme Council. I’ve strongly recommended his
one-volume history of the Supreme Council, Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle,
in this column on more than one occasion. In this new book, he demonstrates
his usual scholarly excellence and literary polish.
The book’s principal writer, Mr. Henry Scammel,
has developed an engaging text with the assistance of Ill\ Arturo de Hoyos,
33°, the Council’s present Grand Archivist and Grand Historian, and
Mr. Mark Fastoso, Photo Researcher. What makes Valley of the Craftsmen
truly remarkable is its illustration. This, after all, is a pictorial history,
and there are hundreds of illustrations and photographs, many from rare
first editions, which have not been reprinted in more than a hundred years.
The whole outline of Freemasonry is here, not just the history of the Scottish
Rite. Even the anti-Masonic movement is illustrated.
Then there is the sheer physical beauty of the
book itself, along with its remarkable typography and layout. Frank Glickman,
who designed the book, is to be commended. The book just feels good in
your hands, and it is an easy book to read as the eye is led naturally
from point to point, plus there is a very attractive dust jacket. Many
Brethren do not realize just how much effort goes into publications from
the House of the Temple. I’ve worked with the people there, and I can tell
you that what appears to be casual and comfortable is the result of manipulations
of tiny fractions of an inch and doing and redoing a page until it is not
only easy to read but a pleasure to the eye. You’ll find that same care
amply demonstrated in this wonderful book.
Valley of the Craftsmen is organized into five
major sections: Forging the Fraternal Chain, From Washington to Lafayette;
Lessons in Stone, From Lafayette to Pike; A New Foundation, From Pike to
Cowles; Holding the Center, From Cowles to Kleinknecht; and Pillars of
Charity, Extending the Legacy. And, as you’ll see when you read it, the
book’s organizing theme is the fraternal handshake. Clearly, the Masons
pictured were connected by Freemasonry in mind, heart, and spirit.
There is much more that could be said about this
book, but it simply isn’t adequate. You need to hold this work and let
your eyes and mind wander through its pages. It is a trophy book, and one
you’ll be proud to have on display and share with your friends.
Mail orders: University of South Carolina Press,
Business Office, 718 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
Phone Orders Toll Free (800) 768–2500 (VISA,
MasterCard, Discover)
Fax Orders Toll Free (800) 868–0740
Outside U.S. Phone (803) 777–1108
Outside U.S. Fax (803) 777–0026
Cost in U.S. $75.00 + $4.50 S&H 1st book;
$.75 each additional book
Cost foreign $75.00 + $6.00 S&H 1st book;
$1.00 each additional book
South Carolina residents please add $3.75 sales
tax per book.