Authored by Charles Glover, this was the first book to be written on the history of Freemasonry in South Australia. It is a highly regarded and authoritative work.
In his Introduction Glover states "the main object which I had in mind when undertaking the work was that of preserving, in a permanent and concise form, the existing evidence which relates to the early history of the Craft in South Australia, and which, being largely contained in documents scattered throughout the State, is on that account peculiarly liable to loss or destruction". He continues "... it must be regarded merely as a compilation of the records of the various Lodges in this state".