The Whole of Craft Free-Masonry. By Br. G. Claret, P.M. Of Lodges 12 & 228 & P. H. of Chap. 12 . Second Edition.

London: Br. G. Claret, Printer, 28, Upper Clifton Street, Finsbury, 1841 .. A very good original full leather binding. pp.280 . 5.00" x 4.00" x 0.75" [12.8cm x 10.7cm x 1.7cm] . Plain dark green morocco over thin boards, with some black ink staining. Marks to leading edge of both boards where clasp has been removed, now carefully strengthened. Smooth spine with gilt banding . Top and tail carefully repaired. All page edges gilt (now dulled) . Original yellow endpapers, lightly soiled. Original yellow seller's label to verso of the front board: "Every Description of Masonic Clothing, Jewels &c. Made By Br. G. Claret. 28, Upper Clifton Street, Finsbury."Folded hand written diagrams (showing foot positions for different rituals), tipped-in. Ownership details to front endpaper: " S. J. Smith Lodge 1008." . Printed title page and clean text throughout. Just a few neat notes and corrections in ink. Interestingly a printed and folded advert for George Claret (Dated 847), is tipped-in to the recto of the rear board. A clean copy of a scarce book. * "George Claret was a printer from Finsbury in London and was a Past Master of Lodge 11 and 229. Claiming the Ritual was "warranted to be the genuine modern Freemasonry as promulgated by the Grand Lodge of England at the Union in 1813", he taught it at Regular Lodges and Lodges of Instruction throughout London. He is known to have printed his first ritual in 1835 and bore on its title page; " As taught by the late Peter Gilkes". In the early 1830's Claret and Gilkes had been associates and were known to have visited Lodges for the purpose of instructing the brethren in ritual. Although careful to credit this ritual with Gilkes, he was equally careful to point out the particular differences between this and his "own" workings. Whether or not either Ritual was in complete agreement with the Lodge of Reconciliation can never be truly established as the ceremonies decided upon by that Lodge were never published, but simply passed on by demonstration. There can however be no doubt that Claret's ritual was representative of the workings of several Lodges in the early 1830's and his printed text is of clear importance to ritual historians as the first example of a printed ritual which had not in any way conceived or exposed the workings in a Lodge ." - See Richard Gurney Lodge No.8387 / Norfolk Masons . ** N.B. Lodge 1008 is : Royal St Edmunds Lodge . However, it did not receive its warrant until 1864. So this note may not be accurate.