Library and Auditorium
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An Invaluable Source of Masonic Heritage and Information

Use of the Library will be limited to the members of the Craft who must register themselves as Members of the Library and pay certain fees for the services.

The Library is now equipped to provide:

Reader Counselling and Assistance.

The reader is given a full understanding of the age and condition of the books and records, and assistance in locating and handling them. Book marking and special storage to enable continual reading ofi the selected item over a period is also provided. This service is particularly appreciated by readers when the books cannot be taken outside.

Research Assistance

University and High School Students interested in undertaking research in Freemasonry as subject for their doctoral thesis or other dissertations can be provided guidance and assistance in developing their synopsis and hypotheses and in thesis structuring and write up. Special lectures on specific aspects of Masonry on which the research scholar is interested can also be arranged. Freemasons who are interested in furthering their studies at Masters or doctoral level with Masonry as their prime focus are encouraged to use the library.

Reprographic support

Photocopying and photographing pages from various documents accessible to general readers will be arranged on request. Until reprographic facilities are established at the library, this will be got done by expert reprographers outside under the supervision of the Information Officer.

Catalogue Service and on-line acquisitions

A reader friendly catalogue is being developed for circulation to members. A Computer terminal carrying the fully annotated catalogue accessible to members will also be provided in the library hall. On line access to Masonic literature by acquiring membership of on-line libraries is also under consideration. The service once in place will be extendible to the Library members on a time and cost sharing basis.

HISTORY

Services

A Library was etablished at the Freemsasons’ Hall premises at least eighty years ago in the building which stood at where the District Grand Assistant Secretary’s Qurters is now. Later, some 30 years ago it was shifted to the erstwhile DGL Office, as a part of it. Books and periodicals were duly numbered and archived. When that building collapsed the Library continued to be housed in the remaining portion. It had then gone into disuse and stayed there until the old building was restored and the contents salvaged. In the ’new’ building a specially designed hall has been provided for the Library.

In 2009-11 the books , periodicals were re-inventoried, reclassified according to the standard coding used by the United Grand Lodge and properly stacked in designated shelves. The books were further classified according to their physical condition. Though a large number of them have gone brittle and a few insect bored, all of them can still be used by careful readers : of course they cannot be lent out for obvious reasons of safety.

The District Grand Lodge has created a Library Fund to restore the non-replaceable records and books and also to augment the stock with replacements for the damaged material and newer publications. It is hoped that within the new future the Library will develop into a full fledged institution of research and Masonic Learning.

Our Treasure House contains books, periodicals and records which can be generally grouped into Books, Periodicals and Proceedings. Proceedings include those of the Grand Lodge(1884 onwards), Grand Chapter(1845 onwards), the District Grand Lodge (1867 onwards) and District Grand Chapter (1871 onwards) . The list of periodicals include :

  • The Freemasons Magazine and Maasonic Mirror, 1856-1868, 28 volumes
  • The Freemason, 1892-1937 ,46 volumes
  • The Freemasons Quarterly Review, 1835-1852, 18 volumes
  • The Indian Freemason 1895-1909, 18 volumes
  • The Masonic Record of Western India, 1868-1890, 38 volumes
  • The Masonic Record, 1921-1939, 19 volumes
  • The Indian Masonic Journal 1865-1957, 44 volumes
  • Madras Masonic Journal, 1925-2007, 97 volumes
  • ARS Quator Cornoti , 1886-2010, 90 volumes
  • Masonic Notes and Querries, 1914-1942, 26 volumes
  • Transactions of Manchester Association for Masonic Research, 1922-1963, 40 volumes
  • The Lodge of Research, No. 2429, Leicester, 1922-1936, 12 volumes
  • The Indian Freemason’s Friend, 1857-1866, 7 volumes
  • The Madras Freemasons’ Herald and Journal of Literature and Science, 1850-51, 15 volumes
  • The Masonic Magazine, 1881-82, 13 issues
  • The Madras Masonic Record, 1889-90, 12 issues
  • Freemason Today, 1997-2011, 30 issues

MQ, 2002-2007, and many others of small duration and dimensions, and current ones.

The Calendar and Directory of the District of Madras is available from 1912 to 2011—a whole century while the year books of the Grand Lodge are in store from 1928.

The range of books are wide and varied, some in large number of volumes. For example The British Masonic Miscellany runs into 20 volumes and many volumes are available in multiple copies. Similar is the case with Encyclopaedia of Masonry and History of Freemasonry. Some of the notable titles are given on the following pages.

The Treasure

The Treasure House of the DGL, it was part of the Library. It contained photographs and many precious old Masonic jewels presented to the District Grand Lodge. It also consisted of jewel galleries showing the replica of the jewels in use by various orders as well as the centenary jewels of the Lodges in the district. But most of them disappeared owing to the efflux of time and inadequate security and particularly during the renovation of the Freemasons Hall and the dilapidation of other structures. The museum is now being re-erected as part of the Library with permanent exhibits and storage for removables. Luckily, most of the paintings and photographs that could be salvaged are hung in the two dining halls, where the sculptures also find a place.

Catalogue

250 years of masonry in India: a study in resolved discords 1979
3-5-7 minute talks on Freemasonry 1981
A concise cyclopedia of Freemasonry, or, Handbook of Masonic reference 1908
A concise cyclopedia of Freemasonry, or, Handbook of Masonic reference 1925
A concise history of Freemasonry 1903
An investigation into the cause of the hostility of the Church of Rome to Freemasonry and an inquiry into Freemasonry [1874]
British Masonic miscellany 20 Volumes [19--?]
By laws of the Provincial Grand Lodge, of the Coast of Coromandel, for the Government of the Lodges working under its constitution, revised by a special committee of the Provincial Grand Lodge and confirmed at the quarterly communication held at the Masonic Hall of Lodge Perfect Unanimity No. 1 on the 27th of June 1849, A. L. 5853 and again approved of by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master 1850
By laws of the Royal Arch Chapter of the School of Plato, attached to the Lodge of Perfect Unanimity, No. 1 at Fort St. George, on the Coast of Coromandel in the East Indies 1835
Original Bylaws of many Lodges that followed  
Constitutions of the ant[c]ient fraternity of free and accepted Masons 1867
Early British Freemasonry-England [19--?]
Early Masonic pamphlets 1945
Free masonry 1790
Freemasonry: its outward and visible signs [1875]
General regulations established by the Supreme Grand Chapter for the Government of the order of Royal Arch Masons of England 1864
Gould's history of Freemasonry 1952
Grand Lodge 1717-1967 1967
Grand Lodge decisions 1897
Historical Land Marks Vol II 1846
History of Freemasonry 1841
History of Freemasonry in Bengal [1866]
History of Freemasonry in Hyderabad (Deccan) 1910
Illustrations of masonry 1801
Kenning's Masonic cyclopedia and handbook of Masonic archaeology, history and biography 1878
King Solomon's temple in the Masonic tradition 1972
Lectures on Masonic jurisprudence 1924
Manual of Freemasonry [191-?]
Masonic poems 1924
Masonic question & answer (with Masonic tit bits) [200-?]
Masonic reprints 1922
Masonic reprints and historical revelations 1898
Mediaeval master masons and their secrets 1931
Military and religious life in the middle ages and at the period of the renaissance [199-?]
Mormonism and masonry 1924
Notes on the origin and history of the Lodge of Perfect Unanimity 1918
On the square 1923
On wings of Masonic light 2001
Papal teachings in Freemasonry 1866
Record of the Vellore Lodge 1786-1790 1930
Robert burns and his Masonic circle 1929
Robert Burns the complete works and letters [189-?]
Roman Catholicism and Freemasonry 1922
Selected Masonic essays [1991]
Short talks on masonry 1969
Side notes on the Bible from flinders Petrie's discoveries [193-?]
Six Masonic songs of the eighteenth century 1930
Suggestions for a course of Masonic reading 1915
Swedenborg rite and the great Masonic leaders of the eighteenth century 1870
The collected Prestonian lectures 1983-1984
The development of the Trigradal system 1925
The discrepancies of Freemasonry 1875
The duties of lodge officers 1929
The early French exposures 1971
The emblems of Freemasonry 1919
The etiquette of Freemasonry 1902
The four old lodges, founders of modern Freemasonry and their descendants 1879
The Freemason's craft 1932
The Freemason's pocket reference book 1965
The Freemason's treasury 1863
The Freemason's vade mecum 1909
The golden remains of the early Masonic writers 1847-1869
The Grand Stewards and Red Apron Lodges 1917
The great light in masonry 1924
The historical landmarks and other evidences of Freemasonry, explained in a series of practical lectures, with copious notes 1846
The history of Freemasonry [1859]
The keystone and other essays on Freemasonry 1913
The keystone and other essays on Freemasonry 1925
The king and the corpse 1948
The land and the book, or, Biblical illustrations 1864
The landmarks of Freemasonry 1924
The law & custom of Freemasonry 1928
The lectures of the three degrees in Craft masonry with the ceremony of consecration, the funeral ceremony, the Masonic muse 1906
The legend of the craft and the ancient history of Freemasonry 1923
The legislation of the craft 1927
The magic of Freemasonry 1924
The Masonic manual, or, Lectures on Freemasonry 1843
The mediaeval mason 1933
The men's house 1924
The moral teachings of Freemasonry 1926
The Morgan affair and anti-masonry 1924
The mysteries of Britain, or, the Secret rites and traditions of ancient Britain restored [19--?]
The old charges 1924
The old charges of British Freemasons 1895
The old constitutions belonging to the ancient and honourable society of free and accepted masons of England and Ireland 1871
The origin and evolution of Freemasonry connected with the origin and evolution of the human race 1920
The Oxford ritual of Royal Arch Masonry 1884
The pentagram 1955
The pentagram 1958
The perfect ashlar and other Masonic symbols 1912
The Pythagorean triangle, or, the science of numbers 1875
The rare books of Freemasonry 1923
The red [19--?]
The religion of Freemasonry 1888
The research lodge monitor 1946
The star in the east 1842
The story of the craft [191-?]
The symbol of glory 1850
The symbols and legends of Freemasonry 1910
The temple and the lodge 1989
The temples of the Jews and the other buildings in the Haram area at Jerusalem 1878
The text book of Freemasonry 1881
The three distinct knocks at the door of the most ancient Freemasonry [19--?]
The untrodden paths of Masonic research 1924
The works of Josephus [19--?]
The years of development 1958
Theocratic Philosophy of Freemasonry  
Thirteen articles on Freemasonry 1923
Thomas Dunckerley 1891
Through the land of Babylonia [19--?]
Unwritten laws in Freemasonry 1925
Via lucis, or, Freemasonry as a philosophy of life for the atom-age 1946
Who was Hiram Abiff? 1925