About this title: Rich in historical detail, this title is a fascinating look at the Masonic symbolism in the nation's capitol and what it means for the destiny of the country. 42 illustrations. of color photos.
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Description: Very Good. 0060953683 Ships next business day. Very Good Condition and Unread! Text is clean and unmarked! Light shelf wear to cover from storage, crease/small tear. Light markings to edges of pages. --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780060953683ISBN:0060953683
Description: Fair. No dust jacket as issued. Highlighting/underlining. Underlining in text. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 528 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. 0060953683 Book could have a shelf wear, or a bump, or sunfade to edges. These are new unread books from the publisher with one of these conditions. See are feedback as customers are satisfied in how we grade our books. Has remainder mark. Fast shipping and customer service is our number 1 priority! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date Published: 2000-07-01
ISBN-13:9780060195373ISBN:0060195371
Description: Good. No writing or highlighting. Minor shelfwear. Ships quickly! No Dust JacketNo writing or highlighting. Has some cosmetic/shelf wear. May have a few bends. Ships quickly! read more
Edition: Reprint, 2004
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: HarperPerennial, New York
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780060953683ISBN:0060953683
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. viii, 516 pp., illus. (some col. ), maps; 20 cm. Near fine. Tight, clean copy. Remainder mark/tail edge. "Today, there are more than twenty complete zodiacs in Washington, D.C., each one pointing to an extraordinary mystery. David Ovason, who has studied these astrological devices for ten years, now reveals why they have been placed in such abundance in the center of our nation's capital and explains their interconnections. His richly illustrated text tells the ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perennial
Date Published: 2002-04-01
ISBN-13:9780060953683ISBN:0060953683
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780060953683. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780060953683ISBN:0060953683
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Brand New. Paperback. Why are over 30 zodiacs incorporated into the architecture of Washington DC? Most of the architects who designed Washington were Freemasons. From the Federal Triangle to the halls of Congress, Masonic art and symbolism is pervasive in the capital city. Rich in historical and architectural detail, much of it from actual Freemason archives, this entertaining and thought-provoking book took over a decade to research and write. Fully illustrated. read more
"I think there may have been something to this book, but it was very poorly organized, and the author seemed so married to his thesis that he was willing to stretch even the most innocuous of coincidences into evidence to support it, while glossing over, ignoring, or potentially distorting other facts.
There are a surprising number of Masons among the U.S.'s Founding Fathers, and much has been made of the arcane nature of other symbols within the US - such as the seal on the back of the dollar bill, or the fact that one can find a compass and square in the layout of the streets of Washington, DC.
Given its title, I was hoping this book would address that - and it did, to an extent. However, what I did not expect, and what I found, was a great deal of emphasis on astrology, and zodialogical symbolism - to the degree that I found the book both turgid and, at times, inaccessible.
Moreover, there seemed to be no accessible structure. Rather than proceeding with a logical argument, the book bounced from era to era and building to building and astrological event to astrological event all the while concurrently comparing French and English astrology to earlier Greek and Egyptian predecessors and trying to draw a line from Virgo to Isis to the Virgin Mary (an argument I buy, but which was so scattered within the book and confused with other astrological reference to Sirius (the dog star) and attempts to stomp out Egyptian references elsewhere as to do little more than confuse the matter.
Were that not enough, there were other areas where the author ignored the influence of historical events or used misleading language in order to support his thesis. Two that stood out were with regard to the building of the National Monument. The author places a great deal of emphasis on the alignment of the planets on the day that the monument was finished and the final point of the oblisk laid in place. He acknowledges that the building slowed for a while, but then gets back to the significance of the date that it was finished, and mentions congressional decrees surrounding the date and time as though it was planned specifically with the Masons in Congress and the final architect who also happened to be a Mason. NEVER anywhere in this description does he even mention the fact that the monument's construction stopped not just because of disagreements on the design and lack of funding, but ALSO BECAUSE THE CIVIL WAR INTERRUPTED THINGS A BIT.
Similarly, he spends numerous pages discussing George Washington's role of as a Mason. Following that, he immediately launches into the signing of the Declaration of Independence. "What must the Mason signing it have thought," he writes as though Washington were there among them rather than trying to keep his men warm at Valley Forge. For while Washington may have been a Mason, he most certainly was not among the signers and to imply otherwise is not just misleading but fundamentally poor historiography.
There were some interesting elements regarding symbolism of the laying of corner stones of the buildings and within the decorations and structures of the building themselves. But they really were far too buried in the author's reliance on astrology which I think distracted both from the text and any potential purpose in the book. An overview of symbolism and its significance, followed by an incorporation of the symbolism into the city, and nods to those in the city who were members of the fraternity would have made a much more readable, and even credible book than the one I read. Did the author find astrology to be of significance, it could've been incorporated as an appendix, or perhaps a text unto itself rather then trying to weave it into the body of this one."
"interesting take on possible connections between the architecture and design of DC and astrological influences. the author jumps to some conclusions that seem half-baked, but overall, a very interesting history on the building of DC and the influence of Freemasons on the same. turns out Slater from Dazed & Confused was right - many of our founding fathers were in a "cult" - which was connected to the back of the dollar bill and the freaky business going on there."
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