The Royal Masonic Cyclopaedia of History Rites Symbolism and Biography

The nineteenth-century writer and Masonic scholar Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie (183386) studied occultism with Frederick Hockley and met the famous French occultist liphas Lvi in 1861. He was also involved in the foundation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. This extensive encyclopaedia first published in 1877 is considered to be a classic Masonic reference work. It includes detailed information on the symbols rites legends terms people and places associated with Freemasonry. Some of the symbols are illustrated and lists of rankings are given including a ''traditional'' list of Grand Masters of England that includes Sts Swithin and Dunstan Alfred the Great Sir Christopher Wren (twice) and Charles II. Mackenzie aims in his entries to be critical when relevant: as he says in the Preface freemasonry has ''received a willing tribute'' in his book but he hints at difficulties encountered in publishing material about a famously secretive society.