The Grand Lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons
of the State of California
Grand Lodge of Masons in California
Freemasonry seeks good men and makes them better. Tell a friend!
The California Masonic Candidate Mentor Program

Reading Lists

Standard Course

  • Masonic Philanthropies by S. Brent Morris 
  • The Craft and its Symbols by Allen E. Roberts 
  • A Comprehensive View of Freemasonry by Henry Wilson Coil 
  • The Builders by Joseph Fort Newton 
  • Along Masonic Trails by Wilmer E. Bresee 
  • The Men's House by Joseph Fort Newton 
  • The Newly-Made Mason by H.L. Haywood 
  • Freemasons' Guide and Compendium by Bernard Edward Jones 
  • Foreign Countries by Carl Claudy 
  • A Pilgrim's Path by John J. Robinson 

    • Advanced Course

  • Dear Brother Herman by Herman Sarachan 
  • The Genesis of Freemasonry by Douglas Knoop and G.P. Jones 
  • The Pocket History of Freemasonry by Fred L. Pick and G. Norman Knight 
  • Facts, Fables, and Fantasies of Freemasonry by William A. Brown 
  • Masonic Symbolism by Charles C. Hunt 
  • Revelations of a Square by George Oliver 
  • Sources of Masonic Symbolism by Alex Horne 
  • Famous Masons by H.L. Haywood 
  • The Clergy and the Craft by Forrest DeLoss Haggard 
  • A Masonic Thought for Each Day of the Year by Alphonse Cerza 
  • Spirit of Masonry by William Hutchinson 
  • The Meaning of Masonry by Walter Wilmshurst 
  • The Masonic Ladder by John Sherer 
  • The Temple and the Lodge by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh 

    • American History Course

  • Revolutionary Brotherhood by Stephen Bullock 
  • House Undivided by Allen E. Roberts 
  • House Reunited by Allen E. Roberts 
  • Masonic Membership of the Founding Fathers by Ronald F. Heaton 
  • Freemasonry and the Presidency by Ray Vaughn Denslow 
  • Colonial Freemasonry by Louis C. Wes Cook 
  • Freemasonry in the Thirteen Colonies by J. Hugo Tatsch 
  • Cornerstones of Freedom by S. Brent Morris 
  • Brother Truman by Allen E. Roberts 
  • G. Washington, Master Mason by Allen E. Roberts 
  • Freemen and Freemasons by James W. Beless 

    • Recreational Course

  • The Lodge in Friendship Village by P.W. George 
  • These Were Brethren by Carl H. Claudy 
  • The Man Who Would be King (and other stories) by Rudyard Kipling 
  • Twice-Told Tales by L.C. Helms 
  • A Treasury of Masonic Thought by Carl Glick 
  • Tied to Masonic Apron Strings by Stewart M.L. Pollard 
  • Born In Blood by John J. Robinson 
  • Two Crowns for America by Katherine Kurtz 
  • Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco 

    • Warden's Course

  • How to Become a Masonic Lodge Officer by H.L. Haywood 
  • The Lodge and the Craft by Rollin C. Blackmer 
  • Our Stations and Places by Henry G. Meacham 
  • Family Masonic Education Workbook by Burt Prater 
  • Freemasonry and its Etiquette by William Campbell-Everden 
  • Fraternal Poetry & Prose by Henry Emmerson 
  • Designs Upon the Trestleboard by Arthur R. Herrmann 
  • Masonic Lodge Methods by L.B. Blakemore 
  • Sing, Brothers, Sing by Carl F. Price 
  • The Masters Book by Carl H. Claudy 
  • 75 Ways to Attract and Retain New Members 
  • 101+ Ways to Improve Interest and Attendance in Your Masonic Lodge 
  • 150+ Ways to Involve Your Lodge With the Family and in the Community 
  • Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry? by Art deHoyos and S. Brent Morris 

    • Public Speaking Course

  • Short Talks on Masonry by Joseph Fort Newton 
  • The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen Lucas 
  • 3-5-7 Minute Talks on Freemasonry by Benjamin Elbert Bede 
  • A Treasury of Masonic Thought by Carl Glick 
  • The Old Past Master by Carl H. Claudy 
  • Communicating Effectively by Saundra Hybels 
  • Prayers for All Occasions by Stuart R. Oglesby 
  • One Hundred Short Prayers by May Stafford Hilburn 

    • District Inspector's Course

  • Whither Are We Traveling by Dwight L. Smith 
  • Masonic Addresses by Barnard Eberlin 
  • Chips From the Quarries by Richard H. Brown 
  • 600 Years of Craft Ritual by Harry Carr 
  • The Search for Leadership by Allen Roberts 
  • The Art of Public Speaking by Stephen Lucas 
  • The Jurisprudence of Masonry by Albert Mackey 
  • Masonic Odes and Poems by S. Brent Morris 

    • Royal Arch Course

  • Royal Arch, Capstone of Freemasonry by Ray Vaughn Denslow 
  • Light from the Sanctuary by Charles Albert Snodgrass 
  • Lessons in Capitular Masonry by Charles C. Hunt 
  • The Royal Arch, its Hidden Meaning by George Harold Steinmetz 
  • The Temples in Jerusalem by Harry Kelso Eversull 
  • Some Royal Arch Terms Examined by Roy A. Wells 
  • Freemasons' Book of the Royal Arch by Bernard Edward Jones 
  • The York Rite of Freemasonry by Frederick G. Speidel 

    • Scottish Rite Course

  • Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle by William L. Fox 
  • History of the Supreme Council, 33°, A.A.S.R., N.M.J., U.S.A. by George Newbury and Louis Williams 
  • The Story of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry by Harold Van Buren Voorhis 
  • The Bible in Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma by Rex Hutchens and Donald Monson 
  • A Bridge to Light by Rex Hutchens 
  • Theatre of the Fraternity by Lance Brockman 
  • Modern Historical Characters in Freemasonry by John H. Van Gorden 
  • Albert Pike: The Man Beyond the Monument by James Tresner 
  • Rose Croix: The History of the Ancient and Accepted Rite for England and Wales by Alexander C.F. Jackson 

    • Masonic Antique Collectors Course

  • Masonic Symbols in American Decorative Arts 
  • Bespangled, Painted and Embroidered by Barbara Franco 
  • Fraternally Yours: A Decade of Collecting by Barbara Franco 
  • Masonic Collectables by George B. Spielman 
  • The Care of Antiques and Historical Collections by A. Bruce MacLeish 
  • Material Culture of American Freemasons by John D. Hamilton 

    • Lives of Famous Masons Course

  • DeWitt Clinton by Dorothis Bobbé 
  • Stephen A. Douglas, Freemason by Wayne C. Temple 
  • Garibaldi in the Light of History by Leonardo Bochicchio 
  • Mozart and Masonry by Paul Nettl 
  • Albert Pike — The Man Beyond the Monument by James Tresner 
  • Paul Revere and the World He Lived In by Esther Forbes 
  • T.R.; The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and His Influence on Our Times by Noel Fairchild Busch 
  • Sibelius and his Masonic Music by Hermine Williams 
  • Thomas Smith Webb, Freemason, Musician, Entrepeneur by Herbert R. Leyland 

    • Masonic Organizations Course

  • The Eastern Star by Harold V.B. Voorhis 
  • Hi...Dad! [De Molay] by Herbert Ewing Duncan 
  • Beyond the Craft by Keith B. Jackson 
  • Seekers of Truth: The Story of the Philalethes Society, 1928-1988 by Allen E. Roberts 
  • History of the Royal Order of Jesters 
  • Parade to Glory; The Story of the Shriners and Their Hospitals for Crippled Children by Fred Van Deventer 
  • Fifty Years of National Sojourners by LaVon Parker Linn 

    • (Adapted from the Livingston Masonic Library (NY) Reading Courses)