We review two books this month, both histories, but with a different focus.

100 Years of Scottish Rite Masonry in the Valley of Guthrie, 1899–1999, Orient of Oklahoma by Robert G. Davis, 33°, Hardback, 255 pages, Illustrated. Published by the Guthrie Lodge of Perfection, 1999. To order, send $18.50, which includes shipping, to Guthrie Lodge of Perfection, PO Box 70, Guthrie, OK 73044.

"Why," I hear you ask, "would Tresner recommend in a national publication a book of local history?" First of all, it's a good book, written by a good friend. The author, Bob Davis, 33°, is General Secretary of the Guthrie Valley, President of the International Philalethes Society, and a frequent contributor to the Scottish Rite Journal, as well as a leading light in Masonic renewal. He writes well.

But even more than that, there's much of interest in this little book.

First of all, it's the story of how men in a frontier town had the sheer intestinal fortitude to build one of the largest Masonic buildings in the world. And it's the story of social and societal change, and how that change impacts and continues to impact the Scottish Rite. It's the story of men like Harper Cunningham, sent by Pike to create the Scottish Rite in the Territories which would become Oklahoma. It's the story of the first stage ever built for the specific purpose of staging the Degrees of the Scottish Rite—and not just a stage, but the most elaborately equipped stage west of New York. It's the story of fraternalism at its best and human nature at its worst. It's the story of the effect of the Second World War on Reunions, and how you hold a state-wide meeting when no public transportation is available and gas is rationed. There are dozens of stories in the book, and they cast a fascinating light on the interactions of history and the Rite. There are many photographs as well.

Oklahoma state pride aside, I think you'll like the book, even if you've never seen the Guthrie Temple and never plan to. And, at $18.50, it's hard to go wrong.

History of the United Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., Inc. by Joseph A. Walkes, Jr., Pub. by the United Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., Inc., 1998, 308 pages, illustrated, $30 (s/h included). To order, contact: United Supreme Council, The Cathedral, 1514–20 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146–2123.

Joseph Walkes is a well-known Masonic writer, and he has done his usual job with this book. It is an interesting history of Prince Hall Affiliation Scottish Rite and its growth into a preeminent organization in the American Black community. The history of the building of the Cathedral—the headquarters of the Rite—is especially interesting, a song of triumph over adversity. Such triumph is a theme of the book, for, like all branches of the Fraternity, Prince Hall Masonry has had more than its share of economic and demographic problems to overcome. It is interesting to see the ways history plays out through the Fraternity. The book is well worth reading.

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.