Sorry about the pun in the title of this review, but we start off with two Russian-oriented books this month, and in my judgement, they're both well worth owning.

Douglas Smith, Working the Rough Stone: Freemasonry and Society in Eighteenth-Century Russia, Northern Illinois University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-87580-246-X hardback, 257 pages, $38.00 from amazon.com

"A trip to the opera provided the initial inspiration for this book. It was at a performance of The Magic Flute at the Wiener-Staatsoper in the winter of 1983 that I first became interested in the subject of Freemasonry. Although I had already read and studied Johann Immanuel Schikaneder's libretto as an expression of the Masonic movement—of its general character, ideals, and overall worldview—in one of my university courses, it was this performance that brought Freemasonry to life for me, suggesting in dramatic and powerful fashion the great importance these ideas possessed for the men, and women, of Mozart's age."

Thus begins the acknowledgments section in Smith's remarkable book. Hard-edged research, carefully done, marks this study by one of the outstanding young historians of our time, as does an easy and comfortable writing style. I've been waiting for this ever since the book was announced. It was worth the wait.

Using original sources from the time, Smith paints a picture of life in the Masonic Lodges of Russia and shows how important the Lodge was in the developing social and intellectual life of Russia. If you have ever wondered just how strong a force for good the Fraternity can be, you'll find it detailed here. This is an excellent book, and I recommend it as a part of your Masonic library.

Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts To Nourish the Soul, trans. by Peter Sekirin hardbound, 384 pages, Scribner Publishers, 1997, $20 cover price, $14 on the Internet

Our distinguished Brother Tolstoy is best known as the author of War and Peace, of course, but the translator's notes tell us that A Calendar of Wisdom was his own favorite. He searched the great sacred books of the world and the writings of the most gifted authors for very brief passages which encapsulated wisdom.

Then he added some observations of his own. For those of us who believe, with Albert Pike, that it is good to read great thoughts because they not only help to clarify our own thinking but give perspective and a sense of personal peace, this is a wonderful book, now available in English for the first time.

It is divided into the days of the year, and there are related thoughts for each day. This has become one of my personal favorites, and it's a good book to have at hand when you just need to take a quick break in the day. It's like a cold glass of iced tea on a hot August afternoon.

Freemasonry Today, a magazine published quarterly in England. Yearly subscription cost £12.50 (approx. $20 U.S.) To subscribe, use credit card and send your name, address, Lodge name and number (if you wish) with your credit card number and expiration date to: Freemasonry Today, 87 Guildhall Street, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1PU, United Kingdom.

This is a beautiful magazine in full color, 8" x 12" size, with fascinating articles on topics significant to Freemasonry today. I really enjoy reading this magazine. Here are just a few of the article titles: "In Search of the Wisdom of Solomon: The Solomonic Degrees," "Medieval Monks, Masons and Mystical Architecture," "The Country Stewards Lodge, the Green Apron, and the Splendid Jewel," "The Image Problem," "The Riddle of the Stones: A Masonic Mystery," "Where Masons Met: Horn Tavern."

In addition, there are humorous articles, crossword puzzles, and many other features. My only regret is that so few of the Masonic suppliers who advertise in the magazine give an e-mail address. Profits from the magazine are given to charity. You can check out the magazine on the Internet. Visit www.freemasonrytoday.co.uk. The Internet site has subscription information as well.

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.