THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF FREEMASONRY James Stevens Curl, Batsford, London, 2002. Paperback, 272 pages, £19.99. ISBN 0-7134-8745-3

In this fascinating work Professor Curl manages to blend two opposing tasks: his book satisfies all the demands of scholarship yet, by virtue of extensive illustrations and an elegant prose, it also addresses the different demands of a general reader who wishes not only to understand a wider perspective but to embark upon an intellectual journey.
    Professor Curl casts his net widely: masonic fundamentalists (and such a species exists) may complain that anything predating 1717, or falling beyond established Lodge membership, has no place in masonic history. Their error is established beyond doubt by the information and illustrations in this book. Any architect who – to take just one example – is directly influenced by the design and dimensions of Solomon’s Temple, is relevant to the history of masonic architecture and iconography. In this assumption Professor Curl must be correct: many designs, he reports, "can make sense only when their implicit Freemasonic content is understood and recognized."
    And what a rich and extraordinary history he presents. I was particularly impressed by the ornate Egyptian stage-sets designed by Simon Quaglio for performances of Mozart’s Magic Flute in 1818 and by the wider Egyptianising of urban design which took place and which, in conjunction with masonic teachings, gave rise to the garden-cemetery.
    In this second edition of his work, some material has been added. Particularly noteworthy is Professor van Pelts’ discovery of the symbolic design links between a seventeenth century plan of Solomon’s Temple with its placement of the altar of burnt offerings, and the site of the crematoria at Auschwitz – "so that the crematoria occupied a position similar to that of the altar for burnt offerings." The implications are dark, and as Professor Curl says, "very disturbing".
    This book is a gift to Freemasonry, revealing and explaining the wide heritage of masonic architecture and symbolic design. It is an unsurpassed achievement and can be read with pleasure by both professional scholars and those who simply enjoy the fascination of discovery.
    Michael Baigent