Reviews for History of Freemasonry 1898

The average rating for History of Freemasonry 1898 based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-04-24 00:00:00 Jeff Wright This is one of those books I’ve owned for years but hadn’t read yet. I thought I could clear a space in a book shelf for another book. It turns out that it’s going back to its spot on the shelf. I enjoyed it so much, b/c you feel like you are talking to Mr. Truman throughout this book, which is based on a series of filmed interviews for a proposed television series in the early 60’s. The TV series never got aired, although months of filming were done, so Mr. Miller wrote this book based on the interviews. There are enjoyable discussions of all the highlights of Truman’s presidency, along w/ lots of colorful quotes. The book was published in 1974, at the height of Watergate, and Mr. Miller never misses an opportunity to contrast Mr. Truman w/ Mr. Nixon. I’ve always been a fan of Harry’s, and am intimately familiar w/ the geographic area of the old Truman family farm, as I grew up close to the Truman Sports Complex in Raytown, MO, the KC suburb between Grandview (where the family farm was) and Independence (where Truman spent most of his long life). I remember visiting his library as a child, and seeing the news footage of him on a daily walk, usually on VE Day — his birthday, coincidentally— or Christmas. Many of the folks interviewed for the series had remained Harry’s lifelong friends and all stated that being in Washington as a Senator, Vice President, and President didn’t change him in the least. He refused to lend his name, sit on any boards, or give lectures b/c he felt that would be profiting by his presidency, which would be wrong. As badly as Harry hated Nixon, one can only imagine how he’d feel about Trump.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-10-13 00:00:00 Patricia Williams This is a fun read because it's like you're sitting next to Truman listening to an interview. You really get a sense for his personality. It's important to note that Miller conducted these interviews near the end of Truman's life--his recollections are not always totally accurate. David McCullough also comments that Truman was a bit more acerbic during the interviews (perhaps based on his age or a desire to make a point forcefully) than his overall history would suggest. But with its flaws, this is a great book to introduce Truman to a new reader or gain additional insights into this great man's life.