This book presents a peculiar view of Freemasonry through the eyes of a Russian-born professor of South Asian History at the University of London. He emigrated to Britain in 1970. As a result of his atypical background, for an historian trying to analyze Freemasonry, Piatigorsky paints a picture of Freemasonry that is unlike other writers on the same subject. He picks the year 1717 to begin his history of Freemasonry, electing to ignore the previous 120 years, from the time that speculative Freemasonry was born, in Scotland's Schaw Statutes of 1598 and 1599, through its evolution throughout the 17th century, up to the beginnings of the grand lodge era. His choice to ignore this most important 120 year period indicates that he is a banner bearer for the old London Masonic research establishment which would prefer that everyone believe that Freemasonry began in London in 1717 and not in Scotland in 1598.