Title varies slightly; v. 2 ... By Robert Freke Gould ... assisted by W.J. Hughan ... and others.

One of Freemasonry's greatest historians, Robert F. Gould, follows the evolution of the order in Europe and Great Britain while also tracing the origins of the secret society to the ancient mysteries of Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Popular among members of the order, this history also includes a detailed chronicle of how Freemasonry evolved in the medieval period from craftsmen's guilds.

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