Table of Contents

Introduction
Three centuries of Freemasonry
Historical legacies
Enlightenment foundations
From darkness to light
Organizational culture
Brotherhood challenged
Perceptions, prejudices and persecutions
Timeline
References
Further Reading
Index

About the Author

Andreas Önnerfors is Associate Professor of the History of Sciences and Ideas at the University of Gothenburg. Prior to that he was Director of the Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism at The University of Sheffield from 2007-2010. There, he published three academic volumes and launched the first academic journal in the area, the Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism. He is a leading expert in freemasonry and has
played a key part in the development of the research area during the last fifteen years. He has written several articles in peer reviewed journals and a chapters in edited books including a chapter on Illuminism in The
Occult World (by Christopher Partridge ed, Routledge, 2015).

Reviews

Well-written, interesting, and informative.
*Jorge Luis Romeu, REHMLAC+. Revista de Historia de la Masonería*

An engrossing, lucid and authoritative interpretation of a social and cultural phenomenon which has been a source of widespread fascination for over 300 years. International in scope and packed with compelling vignettes, this book clearly and engagingly explains every aspect of freemasonry, including its origins, secret rituals, womens freemasonry and anti-masonic conspiracy theories.
*Andrew Prescott, University of Glasgow*

Freemasonry has occupied a liminal place in modern historiography. Often approached by conspiracy theorists or true believers, it has finally been rescued by a new generation of scholars. This book offers the latest scholarship and a clear understanding of the historical significance of freemasonry as well as a careful treatment of its guild origins.
*Margaret C. Jacob*