International Masonic Periodicals, 1738-2005: A Bibliography of the Library of the Supreme Council, 33⁰, S.J. (review)

Larissa P. Watkins follows her first bibliography of American Masonic periodicals from 1811 to 2001 (Libraries & Culture 41, no. 2) with a bibliography of international periodicals held at the Library of the Supreme Council in Washington, D.C. The Library of the Supreme Council is the premier Masonic library in the United States. This volume lists 555 publications from across the globe. The first publication cataloged is a 1738 publication from Leipzig, Germany, and the bibliography concludes with a 2005 publication from Sophia, Bulgaria. In between these two publications are periodicals from North America (excluding the United States), South America, Europe, and Asia.

Watkins begins the work with a section titled "Unspoiled by the Attention of Historians" that chronicles Masonic library catalogs from around the world. This is an extensive introduction dedicated to the importance that these published catalogs play in providing access to Masonic publications. An interesting note is that the International Collection, in which the periodicals in this publication are housed, has not had a proper catalog. The original card catalog for this collection was not updated after the library changed over to a computerized catalog. This lack of a complete catalog has limited scholar access to this important information. The real value of this introduction to Masonic library catalogs is the fact that individuals have now cataloged their local collections to make their libraries' material accessible to researchers and scholars.

Also included in the preface is a technical introduction that informs users of this bibliography of its construction. Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by country and then by title in alphabetical order. Each entry includes information about the type of publication, such as a magazine, newspaper, or bulletin. It also includes the place of publication and publisher or publishing house. A chronology of the publication is provided along with a physical description and an analytic description. There is a self-introduction that is taken straight from the publication itself. An illustration is provided for each publication. Any peculiarities in a publication are noted in the entry. Finally, Watkins provides a sample entry to orient the reader to how this information will appear for each periodical. Like the previous volume, this volume includes three exceptional indexes that allow readers to quickly find the information they need. There is an index by title, one by place of publication, and one according to year of publication. With entries arranged by country rather than by title, it becomes difficult to find specific information without these indexes.

This volume provides scholars with a wealth of information to identify and research Masonic literature and history using periodicals from the International Collection of the Library of the Supreme Council. In addition to benefiting Masonic scholars, this volume provides scholars interested in the history of periodicals with a range of publications from around the world. This volume, together with Watkins's previous volume, provides scholars interested in Masonic periodicals with a solid foundation and understanding of publications available.