Jim Tresner, 33°, G.C.
PO Box 70, Guthrie, Oklahoma 73044–0070
Book Reviews Editor
The Scottish Rite Journal

Rich is our heritage and proud our descent. This month, we pay special attention to the craftsmen of the Middle Ages. Some of these books are not about the Fraternity but the workers from which (many of us believe) Masonry evolved. Some will be a little hard to find, but they will be worth the effort.

Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth, New American Library, 1996 ISBN 054116892 paperback, $7.99 from your bookstore, slightly less on the Internet.

This is a novel set in the Middle Ages. The main character is a stonemason who ends up in charge of the rebuilding of a major church. It is a hard book to put down. If you like mystery, intrigue, or just a remarkably clear picture of daily life during one of the periods of turmoil in the Middle Ages, you’ll like this book. I’ve read it twice in the last couple of years, and I’m sure I’ll read it again. It’s hardly a romanticized version—the pain and dirt are there along with the glory and triumph. If you don’t know much about the Middle Ages and want an introduction that’s not only painless but also enjoyable, you could not do better.

Ken Follett, Pillars of the Almighty, A Celebration of Cathedrals, William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1994, ISBN 0-688-12812-2 Available from Barnes & Noble for $21.00.

The book is by the same Ken Follett who wrote the novel above. Far from a novel, this is a beautiful book of photographs and information about the great cathedrals. The photographer is "f-stop Fitzgerald" (and my friends accuse me of making bad puns!). It’s a fine "coffee-table book," but it is much more. The text and photos help you recapture the beauty and spirit of the Middle Ages. It’s worth the trouble to try to find it.

Nicola Coldstream, Medieval Craftsmen: Masons and Sculptors, University of Toronto Press ISBN 0-8020-6916-9 paperbound 72 pages, many color illustrations, available from amazon.com at $21.95.

The only fault I have to find with this beautiful little book is that Ms. Coldstream knows nothing about the Fraternity or its relationship to the medieval guilds—an unfortunate oversight for a scholar in the area. Nevertheless, this is a book well worth having. It is filled with full-color illustrations taken from medieval manuscripts showing the work of the stone masons and the tools they used. There is additional information about the actual structure and construction of the cathedrals and the carved stone which ornamented them. For anyone interested in our operative Masonic traditions, this is a good book to have as a part of a general resource library.

Jim Tresner  is Director of the Masonic Leadership Institute and Editor of The Oklahoma Mason. A frequent contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal and its book review editor, Illustrious Brother Tresner is also a volunteer writer for The Oklahoma Scottish Rite Mason and a video script consultant for the National Masonic Renewal Committee. He is the Director of the Thirty-third Degree Conferral Team and Director of Work at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple in Guthrie, Oklahoma, as well as a life member of the Scottish Rite Research Society, author of the popular anecdotal biography Albert Pike, The Man Beyond the Monument, and a member of the steering committee of the Masonic Information Center. Ill. Tresner was awarded the Grand Cross, the Scottish Rite’s highest honor, during The Supreme Council’s October 1997 Biennial Session.