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http://www.lewismasonicdigital.com

When John Hogg produced his first successful publication under the pseudonym A. Lewis in 1864, the telephone was just being invented. To him the idea that ritual could be stored in a form of memory other than that of the brothers in his lodge would have seemed fantastical to say the least.

He was, however, passionate about helping his fellow Mason learn ritual and the modernisation of Masonry. In fact, he had seen that Masonic exposés were being used by Masons as an aid for learning, and believed that a proper ritual book should be produced.  This would allow Masons to learn the official ritual without the corruption and confusion of using editions that had been produced by opponents of the Craft.

It was this inspiration that led to him publishing the first ever commercially produced Masonic ritual book called Perfect Working.

In the modern age Lewis Masonic has the same goals: to aid the brethren in their Masonic education, and to make sure that brethren learn the genuine Masonic ritual, rather than poor quality counterfeit rituals produced digitally and unscrupulously circulated.

It is for this reason we have created Lewis Masonic Digital. The only website that you can trust to be producing the most up-to-date, official rituals for Craft and Royal Arch Masonry in an easy-to-use, downloadable electronic format.

Digital Edition of the Emulation Ritual

The Official/Authorised eBook version of the Emulation ritual is now available in a totally secure downloadable  eBook format (ePUB)  for those wishing to read it on their desktop computer (PC or Mac), tablet (e.g. iPad or Galaxy), smartphone (e.g. iPhone or Samsung), or dedicated eReader (e.g. Sony, Kobo or Nook).

Customers will then be certain that they are purchasing, downloading and reading the authorised version, not some version rewritten for a lodge’s specific working, or a corrupted version from an anti-masonic site.

What is an eBook?

Definition

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘eBook’ as...

‘An electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or a specifically designed handheld device.’

But a more complete and, in our view, accurate definition can be found on Wikipedia...

‘An electronic book (variously: e-book, eBook, e-Book, ebook, digital book, or even e-edition) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices.[1] Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printedbook, e-books can also be born digital. TheOxford Dictionary of English defines the e-book as "an electronic version of a printed book,"[2] but e-books can and do exist without any printed equivalent. Commercially produced and sold e-books are usually intended to be read on dedicatede-book readers. However, almost any sophisticated electronic device that features a controllable viewing screen, includingcomputers, manymobile phones, and nearly allsmartphones, can also be used to read e-books. Some companies, such as Amazon, with their Kindle for PC software, provide an emulator that allows a user to read their format on other platforms’.

Fig.1 eBooks views (from left to right) On PC using Adobe Digital Editions; on the iPad; on a Kindle; on an Android smartphone (HTC)

Features

eReading software packages (e.g. Adobe Digital Editions; Blufire; Readmill; Calibre and other proprietary packages from Apple and Amazon) are designed to optimise the reading experience on the specific device that the reader is using. Common features include:

1. Resizing the Font

The user has the option to resize the font and the eBook will automatically re-paginate or reflow to accommodate the reader. So if your eyesight is not too strong you can enlarge the font to meet your needs.  

2. Bookmark a Page

Just tap the bookmark feature and close your eBook, when you come back to it you’ll be taken straight to your bookmark.

3. Highlighting

Highlight quotes and passages and easily find them again. This activity can also be social, some eReading software like (Readmill) is designed to allow users to share their personal highlights and comments with other readers of that same title, either within a private reading group or more publicly with other Readmill users who have purchased the same eBook.

4. Notes

Create and then easily display archived notes. Instead of scribbling in small writing in the margins of a paper book, you can type a clear note in your eReader.

5. Dictionary

Tap a word and the definition will be displayed.

6. Search

Search for topics or keywords inside your eBook, or out on the Web. Similar to the word look-up feature, this is something that augments the reading experience. This is of course a very useful tool when learning ritual. simply search for your office in the lodge to see all the ritual you are to perform.

7. Links

Internal links from the contents page and/or from individual works within the text take you to related content within the same eBook.

There are many other features not mentioned here including a range of potential multimedia enhancements dependent on the specific software. Some will allow you to have the text read out to you, so you have a chance to rehearse your responses, and others have more basic features like the ability to change the font or background colour, or brightness to suit your personal preferences. Links to free eReader software can be found here http://www.lewismasonicdigital.com

Buying an eBook

The links below will take you directly to the page to buy and then download a ritual. The website is designed for first time users and will guide you through the whole process, including the downloading of any software needed.