The Masonic Book Club, Vol. 27: The Freemason's Monitor or Illustrations of Masonry in Two Parts

In this volume we attempt to provide an outline of the life of Thomas Smith Webb, together with a facsimile of the first edition of his The Freemason's Monitor or Illustrations of Masonry. It was published in 1797. He readily credited William Preston and his Illustrations of Masonry for his basic premise. But he believed the pioneering work of Preston had to be revised for Freemasonry in the United States. No attempt is made here to tell Webb's family life, for it would cover far too much territory. His many civic activities, including his musical career, are treated only briefly. No account of the life and work of Webb could be complete without the tale of the evolution of the ritual of Freemasonry. In the pages that follow we will attempt this topic as well.