Reviews of Working the Rough Stone

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“Smith’s clearly written and well-documented study is the best overall English-language history and appraisal of Freemasonry.”
 ~American Historical Review

“In this fascinating book, Douglas Smith analyzes the origins, flowering and the rapid decay of Freemasonry in eighteenth-century Russia . . . Smith has produced an interesting and stimulating book based on an impressively broad range of archival and secondary sources.” 
~European History Quarterly

“The strengths of Smith’s book--and the things that are going to make it one of the starting points for all future studies of ‘civil society’ in the Russian Enlightenment--are its solid command of the literature; its laudable comparative focus; and, finally, its refreshing attempt to take the esoteric symbolism in which the Masons expressed their vision of a better, more Enlightened world, as seriously as they did.” 
~H-Net Reviews

“In his innovative and thoroughly-researched book, Douglas Smith goes ad fonte of Masonic history to investigate Masonic practices and the immediate concerns of the Russian Brethren based on a wide variety of primary sources . . . His book offers a highly innovate and thought-provoking investigation.”
~Eighteenth-Century Studies

“The best work on Russian Freemasonry . . . Interesting and convincing.” ~Professor Gary Marker, SUNY Stony Brook

“Using original sources from the time, Smith paints a picture of life in the Masonic Lodges of Russia and shows how important the Lodge was in the developing social and intellectual life of Russia. If you have ever wondered just how strong a force for good the Fraternity can be, you’ll find it detailed here. This is an excellent book.”
~Jim Tresner, The Scottish Rite Journal