SPECULATIVE MASONRY ITS MISSION ITS EVOLUTION AND ITS LANDMARKS; Being a Series of Lectures Delivered At the Lodge of Instruction in Connection with Lodge Progress, Glasgow, No. 873

Glasgow, Scotland: D. Gilfillan & Co, 1914. First Edition. Hardcover. Good Only. Octavo. Red cloth. Stamped cover with raised furrows to both boards.At some point the boards were seriously "tweaked" and bent, resulting in a 3 in. x 2 1/2 in. crease to the upper right corners of many of the pages. So much has been written about Masonic history and the particulars of ritual, but it seems there is so little which delves into the deeper aspects of Masonic philosophy. This is the thinking man's Masonic guide -- a book which appears unafraid to ask "Why", and to delve. 268 pp.

Exceedingly rare in the original first edition, though a number of latter-day reprints are out there. Only two copies can be located at this time in libraries worldwide. "...Operative Masons were the builders of old who worked with stone. They were architect, builder, craftsman, designer, and engineer all in one, armed only with a set of compasses, a set square, a staff, or a rope, and an understanding of geometry. With these tools, they built wondrous Gothic cathedrals that have inspired people for generations..."

"...As men who were not affiliated with Operative Masonry began entering the lodge communities, they became known as "accepted" or "speculative" Masons while the craftsmen adopted the moniker of "free" Masons. Together they became known as the "Free and Accepted" Masons from which modern Freemasonry has descended. Speculative Freemasonry can be defined as the application of Operative Freemasonry's principles for moral and intellectual development. Essentially, while Operative Masons use their rules, tools, and science to build literal, physical structures, Speculative Masons work see these craftsmen rules and tools as metaphors for building up their character as men..." (Grand Lodge of Ohio site).