Scarlet Book of Free Masonry – 1880 | First Edition, Illustrated, Redding & Co.

The Scarlet Book of Free Masonry is a dramatic and unusual Masonic title, published in New York in 1880, known for its fraternal and occult catalog. This is the first edition, bound in stamped cloth with gold titling. It focuses on stories of Masons and Knights Templars who were arrested, tortured, or executed over a 600-year period. The book also features discoveries of old Masonic symbols found in ruins in Mexico and Egypt, and several chapters focus on the figure of Pythagoras.

The book is heavily illustrated. It carries a strong anti-Catholic and anti-authoritarian tone, typical of American fraternal publications of the era.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Scarlet Book of Free Masonry; Containing a Thrilling and Authentic Account of the Imprisonment, Torture, and Martyrdom of Freemasons and Knights Templars, for the Past Six Hundred Years
• Author(s): Anonymous
• Publisher: New York, Redding & Co., Masonic Publishers
• Edition: First edition, 1880.
• Format: Octavo, single volume
• Binding: Original cloth, gilt spine and cover, decorative black stamping
• Size:  9in × 6.5in (23 cm x 16 cm)
• Collation: 517, [1] pp
• Illustrations: Numerous full-page engravings, including 4 hand-colored plates
• Contents Include:
  • Recent Sanguinary Persecutions
  • Kidnapping, Imprisonment and Torture
  • Persecution and Martyrdom of Knights Templars in England
  • View of the Enemy of Free Masonry
  • The Life and Ideas of Pythagoras
  • Discovery of Masonic Symbols in Mexican Ruins
  • Torture and Death of a Mason in Egypt
• Provenance: Handwritten signature of R. Newton

Condition:

Original brown cloth boards with decorative black stamping and gilt title. Light edge wear and fraying to spine ends. Binding sound. Gilt remains bright. Pages clean throughout aside from mild age-toning and foxing to front matter.

Why Collect This?

• Scarce first edition of an iconic Masonic title
• Unusual illustrated scenes not found in mainstream Masonic works

• Includes early American references to Egyptology and Mexican archaeology

• Appeals to collectors of secret societies
• INVENTORY NUMBER (SKU): #28740