This is the first definitive and full length book to examine Kipling’s interest in Freemasonry and how it is reflected in his life and work. This aspect of his life has always puzzled his biographers and many of them appear to have misunderstood this element in his writing. The book includes his life history, his involvement in the Craft, how he used that knowledge both in his early stories in India, later in Kim and especially after the First World War in his darker late short stories.

The book also includes a chapter on miscellaneous Masonic references in his writing, an examination of his Masonic poetry and a review of the critics and biographers, who have tried, not always successfully, to understand his interest in Freemasonry.

The book also contains new material not previously published before, showing how his experiences in Freemasonry influenced both his life and work. Kipling was the first Englishman to win the Nobel Prize. The book has received a positive review from the Kipling Society magazine as well as several academics.

In reviewing the book the Kipling Journal, the quarterly magazine of the Kipling Society, wrote about the book,  ”It will be a worthy addition to any Kipling library.”