Livingston Masonic Library |
The Empire State Mason Magazine |
The following article appeared in The Empire State Mason Magazine, an official publication of The Grand Lodge of the State of New York. To subscribe to the magazine, or to read more articles of Masonic interest, visit the ESM web site.
The Empire State Mason - Summer 2006 (p. 38)
by RW Richard A. Vang, Trustee
There seems to be a “boom” in the publishing of books about Freemasonry these days. Every time I venture into a bookstore, I see another new publication. This is demonstrated by the fact that there are now editions of both The Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry and Freemasonry For Dummies. Another weird example is a book published recently titled Secrets of the Widow’s Son. This is a book about Freemasonry and what the author guesses will be the subject of Dan Brown’s next book. Brown’s new work is supposed to be based on another book about Freemasonry, The Secret Architecture of Our Nation’s Capital. Widow’s Son is therefore a book about two other books about Freemasonry, one of which hasn’t even been published yet!
Besides a plethora of new books, it seems that over the past 15 years or so there has also been a dramatic rise in the number of movies (National Treasure), documentaries (History Channel), anti-Masonic exposés, fraternal supply companies, and web sites devoted to Freemasonry. Why is Freemasonry such a popular subject today? I’ve thought about this a lot lately, and I think there are a couple of major reasons.
First, this must be a result of the “information age” in which we live. Since the personal computer has become ubiquitous, authors now find it much easier to produce manuscripts. Back in their day, Masonic authors like Albert Pike, Albert Mackey and Allen Roberts wrote their manuscripts with nib and ink or typed them on manual typewriters. The pages were then typeset or typed again as they revised their works through the publishing process--a task that seems closer to writing with a stylus and clay tablet than to today’s methods of electronic word processing. Now we can simply dump our thoughts onto a hard drive and revise selected portions without the necessity of retyping an entire manuscript.
The information age has made the entire publishing process much easier as well. Instead of a lengthy exchange of manuscripts and revisions sent by mail, publishers can now receive works from authors more quickly through electronic means. Computing power and sophisticated software has made the process of inserting images a snap, and has made the physical printing of a book a less laborious (and less messy) procedure as well. Even the issue of inventory is no longer a problem. Before, publishing houses or vanity presses required that a large number of books be printed in order to make the process cost-effective. Today, the trend is leaning towards “print on demand,” where orders for a book can simply be printed as needed and not in mass quantities.
Modern computing has also made the research process much easier for authors. In Pike and Mackey’s time, conducting research for a book required independent means and an open schedule in order to spend time reading, corresponding, or traveling to the locations of primary sources. Once among a collection, finding what one wanted was a monumental task, unless the collection was meticulously organized. Once again, like publishing and writing, this was a very lengthy and tedious business. For example, the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary took six decades to transform from idea to print!
Technology has leveled the research playing field, primarily in access to collections. The Livingston Masonic Library is a prime example of how quickly information technology has changed the way researchers use our facility. In less than a decade, the Library has gone from the tediousness of card catalogs to the ease of electronic databases. Just over a year ago, the researcher could search the database of 60,000 volumes in a matter of seconds--but they still had to visit the Library. Today, that same researcher can work from home to search the Library’s collection on the Internet.
Computing has changed not only how we access information from a distance, but also how we access information on a micro-level, within a collection itself. And aside from the occasional subscription or fee, pretty much anyone can conduct research from home through any of the thousands of library and museum web sites located anywhere in the world. There are an amazing number of web sites devoted to Freemasonry. Clearly, information technology is having a sudden and lasting impact on the increase in Masonic publications.
The second major factor contributing to the increase of Masonic publications and productions is the unprecedented access to Freemasonry. For various reasons, we are a more open “subject” than ever before. Twenty years ago, it was still taboo for Masons to discuss Freemasonry with outsiders. Our numbers were decreasing rapidly and organizations like the Southern Baptist Convention were conducting investigations into Masonry’s relevance. Studies sponsored by Masonic organizations showed that if we didn’t start being more proactive, we’d soon vanish. (See the Masonic Information Center’s recent report, It’s About Time!) In response, authors like John Robinson (Born in Blood and A Pilgrim’s Progress) pronounced a call to arms for Masons to end their tradition of silence and to let the world know the truth about our fraternity. The Library’s Internet presence is a recent example of such proactive behavior.
But I think our new Masonic public awareness is producing mixed results. The Masonic publishing trend resulting from Masonry’s openness and access through information technology leads me to question, is the quality of the publications any better? And, is the information being published more accurate?
From reviewing much of the information recently published, it seems that the first answer is that this ease of publishing, coupled with the public’s desire for hyperbole, sensationalism and controversy has led to even more inaccuracy being produced. Some of the books only skim the surface of Masonry, while others simply rehash outdated theories or unfounded ideas. In short, the crackpots have as much access to Freemasonry as legitimate scholars, and at times it seems that they are winning the publishing battle.
My second answer is that the good scholars are producing better works all the time. With Masonry being open to public scrutiny, it seems a favorable opinion of our order is being presented. See Grand Historian George Peter’s review of the recent articles in the U.S. News & World Report (ESM, Winter 2005) as an example. Academic scholars and presses are no longer being ridiculed for studying such an “insignificant” social group as the Masons. Access to formerly unknown historical sources is leading to new theories on Masonry’s origins and resulting in more refined scholarship. One recent example of this is The Origins of Freemasonry by David Stevenson. Ultimately, I think the quality and the accuracy are improved overall.
With all this in mind, what positive contribution can Freemasons themselves make to this Masonic publishing trend? I say, get out there and publish! With print on demand technology, anyone can now publish a book at places like IUniverse.com and Lulu.com. A perfect project would be to write a history of your lodge. If sifting through all your lodge records seems daunting, you can use today’s technology to have your lodge records digitized for ease of access (and preservation). Selling your book could offset the cost of these services. With print on demand, there is almost no cost to produce the book, and no “middle man”, leaving more of the proceeds from sales available for charity or other lodge purposes. Publicize the book; make it known to your local history organizations, universities, or anyone interested in local history. You can help your lodge and the Livingston Library too. Use the Library for research; you need go no further than your own computer and the Library’s web site to see good Masonic books.
As Masons, we should always strive to do “good works.” When getting involved in this Masonic publishing trend, keep in mind that part of the intent is to present a positive view of Freemasonry. Try to adhere to scholarly principles, and don’t contribute to further misinterpretation. Ultimately, such efforts can only have a sudden and lasting positive impact on Masonry.
If you would like to help the Livingston Library, please contact RW Tom Savini at (212) 337-6620, or through the web site at www.nymasoniclibrary.org. As always, remember that your donation to the Livingston Masonic Library is tax deductible.
©2006, The Empire State Mason Magazine.