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Masonry Dissected^ by Samuel Prichard, first published in 1730, was an easy book to select for publication by The Masonic Book Club for it has been a Masonic classic for many years. The book has been out-of-print for many years and has been hard to locate even in Masonic libraries. It was the first major expose of the Masonic ritual to be printed; and it occupies an important place in the history of the ritual because it contains the first clear description of a system of three degrees.
We were fortunate in securing the assistance of Brother Harry Carr, a Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge, and one of the greatest living Masonic scholars, in writing the Introduction to the background of the subject with notes covering the possible sources of specific parts of the Prichard book. Brother Carr's careful research permits him to present all that is known about the author of the book. Prichard's work attracted immediate attention and many editions were published within a short period of time. It became a "best seller" of its day and soon there were several pirated editions.
Harry Carr has been a student of the history of the Masonic ritual for many years, and his experience is reflected in the detailed explanation of the Prichard book, the sources of his material, its influence on the ritual of his day and on the English and European exposures in the next fifty years. Undoubtedly, Prichard had some knowledge of the Ancient Constitutions, and this phase of the subject is explored in detail by Brother Carr, together with the available literature on the subject. One interesting part of the book is that Brother Carr explores all the ways and by-ways of each factor involved in the subject, with ample references to available studies made by others. The explanation sheds valuable light on many phases of the history of A^asonic ritual. The student of Freemasonry will find the reading and studying of this book an intellectual adventure because of the presentation of the material by Brother Harry Carr. It will be a welcome addition to any A4asonic library, and we are proud to make this rare book available to our members.
