john j. robinson, masonic books author bio

John J. Robinson

His Bio and Books

(c.1918-1996)

John Robinson was that rare breed of writer who was not a Mason when he began producing his books, but became captivated by the fraternity while doing his work and entered a Masonic lodge late in life. His book Born In Blood has been the best selling work on the subject of Freemasonry from the time it was published in 1989 until the present day. His last book, A Pilgrim's Path, has touched many Masons by its insightful and resonant observations about the craft.

John came to this work after a long life in which he had been a business executive, farmer and member of the U.S. Marines. His abiding interest in the history of Medieval Britain and the Crusades not only spurred his research into those realms, but led to his becoming the head of a family trust dedicated to historical study. Through chance occurrence, his work caused him to become enmeshed with Freemasonry and the Knights Templar.

Born In Blood

While exploring a curious event known as The Peasants' Revolt of 1381, John discovered reverences to a Great Society that was secretly directing the course of the revolt. As he probed into it further, he began to discover numerous connections between this secretive Society and the Knights Templar that had been disbanded 69 years earlier amid men being burned at the stake. Curiously enough, some of those connections also applied to the society of Freemasons that would emerge from behind a veil of secrecy many years later.

For a deeper review of Born In Blood and its contents, see the accompanying article here.

Dungeon, Fire and Sword

The unprecedented popularity of his first book caused John to follow up with Dungeon, Fire and Sword, Here he told the full story of the Knights Templar from the time the First Crusade was a just gleam in the eye of Pope Urban II, until the last ash of Jacques Demolay's fiery death floated across the Seine River in Paris.

While this writing was well presented, it did not produce anything particularly new or remarkable, so it was not as well received as John's other works.

A Pilgrim's Path

By virtue of his being able to see Freemasonry with fresh eyes, John's story of how he came to be a Mason filled A Pilgrim's Path with insights not usually presented in discussions about Freemasonry. He boldly addressed the actions and attacks of anti-masonic groups he encountered along the way. Yet in the end it was not a story about him or the nay-sayers, but about people trying to make their way in a difficult world, and the mutual support they found in Masonry.

Masonic Information Center

In 1993 John established this Center by providing the financial support needed to fund its work. This group serves as a source of information to Masons and Non-Masons alike, and can be found at www.msana.com/micindex.asp. The center also produces a number of brochures and bulletins with useful information about Freemasonry.

John J. Robinson was a man who seemed to have his feet on the ground, could do the hard work of research, and yet still retained enough enjoyment of life to conjure a good book worth reading. 

Books by John J. Robinson

Related Article

King Richard and the

Knights Templar

John Robinson

Born In Blood

(1989)

Dungeon, Fire and Sword

(1992)

A Pilgrim's Path

 (1993)

Masonic Information Center

 (1993)