The Early Masonic Catechisms ( Freemasons / Freemasonry / Masons ) by Knoop, Douglas / G P Jones; Douglas Hamer / Quatuor Coronati Lodge / Edited By Harry Carr - 1975

London, England: London, UK: Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 / Manchester University Press, 1975, 2nd Edition, 1st Revised and Enlarged Edition, 2nd Printing, 1975. ------------hardcover, a solid Fair to Good copy in blue cloth, mottling and fading to the blue cloth on both covers, foxing and age toning to the edges of the text block, a bit of foxing to the interior pages, book is slightly musty, name and address stamp on front endpaper, this is the 2nd printing of the 1st revised and enlarged edition (revised edition was previously released in 1963 ), 244 pages, b&w illustrations ---contents include: Introduction: Comparison with the Old Charges, Early Operative Working, Authenticity of the Printed Catechisms - Relation of Printed to MS. Catechisms, Reaction of the Craft to the Publication of the Catechisms; Classification of the Early Catechisms, Evolution of the Early Catechisms, Accepted or Early Speculative Ceremonies, Treatment of the Texts; Catechisms: the Edinburgh Register House MS., 1696, the Chetwode Crawley MS., c. 1700, the Kevan MS., c. 1714-20, the Sloane MS., 3329, c. 1700, the Dumfries No. 4 MS., c. 1710, the Trinity College, Dublin, MS., 1711, a Mason's Examination, 1723, the Grand Mystery of Free-Masons Discover'd, 1724, the Whole Institution of Masonry, 1724, Institution of Free Masons, c. 1725, the Whole Institutions of Free-Masons Opened, 1725, the Graham MS., 1726, the Grand Mystery Laid Open, 1726, A Mason's Confession, ?1727, the Wilkinson MS., c. 1727, the Mystery of Free-Masonry, 1730, Prichard's Masonry Dissected, 1730, the Chesham MS., c. 1740, Dialogue between Simon and Philip, c. 1740, the Essex MS., c. 1750; Rejoinders: the Free-Masons Vindication, 1725, The Perjur'd Free Mason Detected, 1730, a Defence of Masonry, 1730-1; Possible Rejoinders: the Sisterhood of Free Sempstresses, 1724, a Letter from the Grand Mistress, 1724; Notes and Glossary, Index. ---from a review dated 1965, ----"One of the most significant Masonic works to appear within recent months, almost certainly, was the second edition of The Early Masonic Catechisms transcribed and edited by Douglas Knoop, G.P. Jones, and Douglas Hamer. This second edition was edited for Quatuor Coronati Lodge by Harry Carr, P.A.G.D.C., P.M., Secretary. It was published for Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, London, by Manchester University Press, in 1963. The first edition came out in 1943. With the war on and paper in short supply, we can assume that the run was limited. In any event the book soon went out of print and became a collector's item. --- The new edition may be called superior as it contains two important texts which were discovered after 1943. These are The Wilkinson MS, about 1727, first reported on in 1946; and The Kevan MS., belonging to the period about 1720, discovered in 1955. The difficulty in publishing Masonic works is shown by the lapse of twenty years before the work could be brought back into print. The soundness of the original scholarship, evidenced by the names of the editors, is proved by the fact that no editorial changes were necessary. Except for the additional manuscripts and and extra introduction the editions are identical. In their introduction the editors explained that for many years the study of Masonic manuscripts had "been largely directed to the documents known as the MS. Constitutions of Masonry, or, more familiarly, as the Old Charges." In this volume the editors dealt with a different class of Masonic document, "much smaller in number and considerably more suspect in character, namely, the manuscript and printed masonic catechisms, which originally were mainly concerned with the form of giving the Mason Word, and the questions and answers used to test persons claiming to have the Mason word. These catechisms underwent considerable changes during the eighteenth century, gradually becoming much more elaborate in character." All those interested in the origins of Freemasonry, as we know it, will already have a fairly full knowledge of some of the catechisms printed here. For example The Sloane MS, dated about 1700, has been in the British Museum since 1754 and available to Masonic scholars in printed form since 1872. On the other hand, in addition to the two manuscripts mentioned above, the Wilkinson and Kevan, the earliest manuscript in the book The Edinburgh Register House MS, going back to 1696 was not discovered until 1930. Other catechisms, having come out originally in printed form have been available, though admittedly scarce, since they first appeared. Prichard's Masonry Dissected, 1730, came out on October 20, 1730 and before the end of the month had appeared in four more editions. Few accounts of Freemasonry overlook this work. Now, however, we not only have the full texts of all the well-known catechisms, but also the latest to be discovered. One fact emerges. Masonic study cannot stand still. Not only can we devote more time and intensive study on the better known records but we can also work on lesser known works.", any image directly beside this listing is the actual book and not a generic photo. Later Printing of 1st Revised Edition. Hard Cover. Fair (see description)/No Jacket as issued. Illus. by No Dustjacket as Issued.