Freemasonry Before the Existence of Grand Lodges

by Lionel Vibert

My intention is writing this little book is to present in a simple and concise from the results arrived at by the great modern students of the craft, Gould, Hughan, Rylands, Speth and others, which are, however, not readily available to the brother who wishes to know the leading facts about the origin and early history of Masonry, but is deterred by considerations of time and also expense from studying the subject really thoroughly. I have confined myself to the early period of our history; primarily because to take it beyond 1717 would so greatly extend the scope of the work as to defeat its object; and also becuse after that date the history of our craft may fairly be called an exact science, whereas my concern is rather with the problem of our origin, which is very far from being exactly ascertained, and as to which the most astonishing misconceptions still seem to prevail. (Lionel Vibert)

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1910