Jay Kinney is coauthor of Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. For fifteen years, he was publisher and editor-in-chief of Gnosis, the premier journal covering esoteric traditions and spiritual paths. In addition, Kinney is a member of Mill Valley Lodge #356 and Mission Lodge #169, F&AM, in California; a member of the York Rite; and a 32° KCCH in the Scottish Rite. He has twice been a speaker at the California Masonic Symposium, and is a recipient of the Albert G. Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Research. He has extensive contacts within Freemasonry and, as librarian and director of research for the San Francisco Scottish Rite, has access to many resources and Masonic records that have eluded most popular writers on this topic.

The Masonic Myth by Jay Kinney is an accessible and fascinating history of the Freemasons that sheds new light on this secret fraternity. A nonfiction look at the mysterious and wrongly maligned ancient society that plays a major role in The Lost Symbol, the new novel by Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), Kinney's The Masonic Myth debunks the myths as it reveals the truth about the Freemasons, their history, and their secret symbols and rituals--a truth that is far more fascinating than all the conspiracy theories combined.