It's sort of a general history in that it covers all aspects of Masonry from origins to symbolism to what it's for. But the point of the book is about what he calls "contextual thinking" -- that is, the importance of putting what you read and hear into appropriate historical context, thereby enabling you to better weigh the evidence and evaluate it. So for example he gives the historical and documentary context for how and why Masonry got connected with devil worship (a misreading of Masonic author Albert Pike) and alchemy (it's all the Enlightenment's fault). He's done a ton of research and it's a pretty solid and comprehensive piece of work.