Welcome to our Library
The logo of the College incorporates a Lamp of Knowledge with a brightly burning flame to lead you in your quest for knowledge. On the left you'll find links to several sections of interest in our Library and we encourage you to take advantage of them. There are recommended reading lists for new members, long-time members, and the general public. If your interests are topical, check out our Books page where you'll find lists covering dozens of topics. In our 'etcetera' section, we'll be developing some links that you should find of interest and we've set aside a section of the Library for our instructors.
Brand New
Some terrific stuff has arrived on the scene just recently:
Want to be the hit of your Commandery? Want to impress those who visit your house with a powerful coffee-table book? Want to enjoy reading about the history of both the medieval as well as the modern Knights along with comparisons of Templary around the world? Then do buy Stephen Dafoe's book, "The Compasses and the Cross - A History of the Masonic Knights Templar". Written by an acknowledged expert in the field, Bro. Dafoe provides factual information and a wealth of gorgeous pictures, a number of which you've probably never seen before. This is a book you'll want to own, even if you're not a KT member! It's worth FAR more than the cover price just for the visual but when you add in the information inside, you'll be proud to show it off.
Click on the graphics to purchase any of these items from Amazon.com - and don't forget to check out our many topical lists by using the link on the left. Guaranteed you'll find more to read there as well....
Before you proceed, please pay particular attention to the information below:
Statement Regarding Recommended Books and Reading Lists
In this section of our web site, we've provided lists of books to help in providing 'further light' for you. Please pay particular attention to the following:
- No one person speaks for Freemasonry. Only a Grand Master is authorized to speak for Freemasonry and then ONLY during his term of office and ONLY relating to his own jurisdiction. Accordingly, there is no specific book or books which can or will ever be considered authoritative across the breadth of the fraternity;
- Neither inclusion nor omission from a particular list has any specific significance. If you believe a work was put in or left out inappropriately, do let us know;
- Those endeavoring to justify or rationalize their own aims, objectives, philosophy, or theology far too often will ‘read into’ any listing prepared by a Masonic organization as being somehow "official". Such lists simply are not;
- Use of a particular text by an Instructor does not imply endorsement by the Maine Masonic College, the Grand Lodge of Masons in Maine or any parties related thereto;
- Freemasonry is over 300 years old. Its roots are unproven. Notwithstanding, authors have speculated - often wildly - on this. There is no definitive, provable answer to the questions of when and where Freemasonry began - and any author who claims differently deludes him/herself and lies to you;
- Freemasonry allows the individual member freedom of thought and it tolerates the right of every member to believe what he wishes. Sometimes, sadly, interpretations run wildly contrary to actual fact. Over the centuries, many strange and colorful interpretations have become a part of Masonic literature. Masons know – as should ANYONE perusing our listings – that NO ONE PERSON speaks for Freemasonry.
Non-Masons sometimes find the multitude of seeming contradictions in writings
about Freemasonry to be confusing, perhaps to the point of assuming a deliberate
obfuscation. We contend that nothing could be further from the truth. Nearly
all books written by Masons have been done for the purpose of education and
explanation: that the author might have imposed his own interpretations and
beliefs onto the material is a fact that cannot be ignored if Masonic literature
is to be understood.
One additional point: Freemasonry is not a monolithic, world-wide organization. Local lodges fall under the aegis of a Grand Lodge whose authority is generally proscribed by geographical boundaries. It would be impossible to find a Masonic author familiar with the details of Freemasonry in each and every Grand Lodge in the world and so particularly when references are made to particular parts of ritual, regalia, protocol, etc. you should be aware that such matters locally may be quite different - and, in particular, that the opinions of authors may not be identical with that of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Maine.
This section of our site will be in constant development and updated regularly. Let us know how we can improve!
This page last updated on Sunday, May 10, 2009
