The Masonic Book Club, Vol. 2: The Constitutions of the Free-Masons
Franklin, Benjamin
Synopsis "The Masonic Book Club, Vol. 2: The Constitutions of the Free-Masons"
The Masonic Book Club (MBC) was formed in 1970 by two Illinois Masons, Alphonse Cerza, 33 , and Louis L. Williams, 33 . The MBC primarily reprinted out-of-print Masonic books with scholarly introductions; occasionally they would print additional texts as "bonuses" (though none were marked specifically as such on the title pages); sometimes a reprint would be marked "Masonic Book Club Edition"; often an unnumbered bonus was published jointly with the Illinois Lodge of Research or the Supreme Council, 33 , NMJ, USA.page, "Volume [Number] of the Publications of the Masonic Book Club," some were misnumbered, and some were unnumbered. Indeed, the numbering of the early volumes was inconsistent. For example, A Serious and Impartial Enquiry is "Volume Five" (1974) but Masonic Membership of the Founding Fathers is "The Masonic Book Club Edition" (1974). Then, Masonry Dissected is "Volume Eight" (1977), The Trestleboard is "Volume 8A" (1978), and Anderson's Constitutions of 1738 is "Volume Nine" (1978). If nothing else, MBC books keep bibliophiles on their toes. The first volumes had deckle-edged paper and pages of slightly different sizes, though eventually the MBC settled into a 6" x 9" trimmed-page format for their books. The books were bound in a dark blue fabric with gold lettering. Listed below are the fifty-nine MBC volumes published 1970-2010 with bonuses. N.B.: A number and letter, e.g. "Volume 8A," is a numbering for this reprint series. The club originally was limited to 333 members, but the number grew to nearly 2,000, with 1,083 members when it dissolved in 2010. In 2017 MW Barry Weer, 33 , the last president of the MBC, transferred the MBC name and assets to the Supreme Council, 33 , SJ, USA. Under the editorship of Arturo de Hoyos, 33 , g∴c∴, and S. Brent Morris, 33 , g∴c∴, the revived Masonic Book Club has the goal of publishing classic Masonic books while supporting Scottish Rite, SJ, USA philanthropies.
