Alternative Archaeology and History Books at Amazon.com

	The Hidden History of the Human Race by Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson; The best book on exposing all the anomalies in archaeology. This is a condensed version of a larger book. Mainstream anthropologists hate this book. Good reason to buy it. Midwest Book Review: Over the past two hundred years the scientific establishment has selectively ignored, suppressed, and forgotten some remarkable artifacts and bones that contradict the dominant views of human origins and antiquity. Evolutionary prejudices have served as a sort of informational "filtering" system that has left us with a radically incomplete set of facts for building our ideas about human origins. The Hidden History Of The Human Race is a call for change in today's arbitrarily rigid...		Shattering the Myths of Darwinism by Richard Milton.Reviewer: Wayne Hollyoak: Milton, a science journalist, takes a fresh and very objective look at the state of darwinism. This is a must read for every educator who has believed the line that, "only evolution is supported by science". This book exposes many of the debunked, but still published, great "evidences" claimed by darwinists such as the peppered moth, the horse evolution tree and radiometric dating. He also soundly thrashes the "scientific community" for it's treatment of catastrophism. ...
	Evolution: A Theory in Crisis by Michael Denton; Reviewer: daviscds: Denton's book is a first-rate critique of contemporary versions of Darwinism and is filled with original and compelling arguments. The usual suspects have, naturally, attacked the book with the usual generic accusations, but don't be mislead: "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" is not a defense of "Scientific Creationism" and definitely does not go wrong in easy and obvious ways. It is a penetrating account of features of the natural world that mutation and natural selection are simply inadequate to explain. ...	Darwin on Trial	Darwin on Trial by Phillip E. Johnson; Reviewer: John Landon: This short and influential work,in the line of many critiques of Darwinism, including another with the legal metaphor, Macbeth's Darwin Retried, revealed how easy it is for a non-specialist observer on the subject of evolution to find flaws in the reasoning in its theoretical foundation as natural selection. Five short chapters and the job is done, after a century of rocket science. Often criticized for religious views that are in fact unstated in the book, the author methodically proceeds to pick through the misleading presentation of evolution that is omnipresent in the literature on the subject ...
	Lost Cities of Atlantis, Ancient Europe and the Mediterranean by David Hatcher Childress; Reviewer: Ranney: This book actually covers more than the mediterranean area. It talks about prehistoric ruins throughout Europe and parts of the mid east. Many sites are familiar, but many more are ones the reader may not have heard of; the author has apparently visited them all. He writes with an easy readable style and includes the history, the legends and other pertinent information. ...		Lost Cities of North & Central America by David Hatcher Childress; Reviewer: John Martin: This is a great book regardless of how outlandish some of the stories it contains are. The author's greatest strength is not in forming unique opinions about the subject but rather in bringing together a vast number of sources to show an America completely different than what we've been lead to believe. The book just isn't about lost cities but also generally weird stuff throughout Central and North America. There is evidence of Asian contact with Central American cultures, pterodactyls in Arizona, Vikings in Oklahoma, Irish monks running all over the place, ...
	Vimana Aircraft of Ancient India and Atlantis (Lost Science Series) by David Hatcher Childress; Reviewer: ridhi88: Having read this book thoroughly I appreciate the effort done by the author. I also translated the same book in technical english. The book is very informative, it simplified many equipments and systems to prevent the viman from natural hazards, to supply energy from natural sources. I whole heartedly appreciate him. Since last 32 years , I was working in an industry manufacturing supersonic fighter aircrafts, having advantage of technical knowledge and command on sanskrit, I can suggest a few addendums if the author can enter them in his next revised edition, I wish every technical man could read this book. ...		Pole Shift by John White; Probably the best book on the subject.Dr. Jeffrey Goodman, author of We Are the Earthquake Generation: "Too many coincidences and warning signs are being discovered by scientists for us to ignore White's important work." Reviewer: A reader from Belgium: The author has a very good experience with several disciplines of science and research. The book reads well and sounds impressive and professional, even in matters as Psychic Foresight etc...
	The Destruction of Atlantis: Compelling Evidence of the Sudden Fall of the Legendary Civilization by Frank Joseph, Zecharia Sitchin; The most comprehensive reconstruction of the history and fate of the legendary ancient civilization of Atlantis. Draws together compelling evidence from geology, astronomy, myths, and ancient texts to prove the existence of Atlantean civilization and its catastrophic end.	Destruction of Atlantis: Ragnarok the...	Destruction of Atlantis: Ragnarok the Age of the Fire and Gravel by Ignatius Donnelly; This is a classic. It was written in 1883. Reviewer: Pam Hanna: The writings of Ignatious Donnelly (1831-1901) are still relevant and his thinking still original. Lawyer, congressman from Minnesota, entrepreneur, music and art lover - he may have been the only Congressman at the time to use all his spare hours in Washington to explore the Library of Congress. He was a prodigious, voracious and consummate scholar. As a writer, he became an instant success with *Atlantis: The Antediluvian World*. This book was not, despite its title, some pseudo mystical bit of fluff. He had discovered physical evidence for the existence of the Golden Age ...
	A Dweller on Two Planets by Phylos: A classic, the best book ever written on Atlantis. Follows the life of Zailm as he works his way up the ladder of success. Rising to lofty heights too fast, he works closely with the Rai, ruler of the land and another, the spiritual head and then falls in love with his twin flame, a princess only to succumb to the charms of another from a far off land.		The History of Atlantis by Lewis Spence; A good reference book for Plato and other historical sources. Reviewer: A reader from Tulsa, Oklahoma: Spence picks up some loose ends Donelly could not tie in his book 'Atlantis'. Explanations for the pre-atlantean giants, antediluvians, and the subsequent diaspora. If you are interested in 'factual' Atlantis, or theoretical History, then you should get this book. ...
	The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Lord His description of the creation of a robot race is particularly noteworthy. He presaged many technological advancements and coined a word, "vril," later used by Blavatsky to describe the mysterious force used in Atlantis.		Unveiled Mysteries by Godfre Ray King. Saint Germain brings Godfre along to revisit many ancient Golden Age civilizations, from ancient Mayan cultures, to Atlantean outposts and a highly advanced civilization 70,000 years ago.
The Children of Mu	The Children of Mu by James Churchward; The classic on Mu and Lemuria published in 1931. Reviewer: Brian Van De Car: Imagine.. History making sense! In his Second book in the "Lost Continent of Mu" series, Col. Churchward vies to piece together one of the greatest mysteries this world has ever known: our own history. He tracks the eastward and westward lines of migration of great civilizations from the "Lost Continent of Mu", and examines their similarities, their downfalls, and makes a bit of sense out of the way the world now stands. ...		The Lost Continent of Mu by James Churchward; Reviewer: Arthur Gregory: I first read Churchward's "Lost Continent of Mu" when I was about fourteen years old... It was kind of my introduction to anthropology and ancient history... I found Churchward to be a fascinating writer... He apparently was in the British army in India as a Colonel and met a "Rishi"... who told him about some ancient records guarded in some temples about a lost continent ...
	The Sacred Symbols of Mu by James Churchward: Reviewer: A reader: Most of the historical symbols, Nazis, NSDAP and uncountable others has its roots on MU civilizaton. At least that's what Author concludes from his and Niven's research on Mexico and India. I recommend it's a must for any serious occult or paranormal researcher...	Cosmic Forces of Mu (Volume 1)	Cosmic Forces of Mu (Vol. 1) by James Churchward: COSMIC FORCES OF MU, Volume 1 is the fourth book in the famous MU series by Col. James Churchyard who spent his lifetime researching the vanished Pacific continent and super-civilization of Mu. In this volume the author explains the sciences as they were taught in Mu -- teachings the author felt were far in advance of present knowledge and embracing the whole universe. ...
	Mysteries of Atlantis Revisited by Edgar Evans Cayce; Reviewer: Frank McLaughlin: Easy to read 200 page book that gives an overview of the Cayce readings about Atlantis. Considering how much garbage has been written about Atlantis just to sell books, this is an excellent place to start. Strength of the book is the author's attempt to present the Cayce readings objectively with comparisons to scientific thinking and that of other metaphysical writers on the topic, such as the Theosophists. The weakness is that some of the science is outdated, and it is presented incompletely.		Edgar Cayce on Atlantis by Edgar Evans Cayce, Hugh L. Cayce (Editor); Reviewer: A reader from Alkmaar, NH Netherlands: Many Edgar Cayce's Readings with some additional text added to help understand the readings better. The book gives an overview of the Human Evolution / Development from the first time man was in the earth until the time of the final destruction of Atlantis and much on the earliest big advancements in Egypt brought about by people from Atlantis (some travelled to Egypt before Atlantis was destroyed). ...
	The 12th Planet by Zecharia Sitchin; The first book exposing the coming of aliens 450,000 years ago based on the translation of ancient Sumerian texts. Ingram: After years of painstaking research--combining recent archaeological discoveries with ancient texts and artifacts--noted scholar Zecharia Sitchin has identified the legendary Land of the Gods, and provides astounding new revelations about the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, and other mysterious monuments whose true meanings and purposes have been lost for eons. Illustrated with maps, diagrams and photos.		The Stairway to Heaven by Zecharia Sitchin; Reviewer: darkgenius: In this second entry in the Earth Chronicles series, Sitchin focuses on man's eternal and perpetual search for immortality and ties his findings in with his theories of ancient Sumer and the Annunaki who originally colonized earth. In particular, he discusses Alexander the Great's desperate search for a way to escape an early death as well as Gilgamesh's epic search for everlasting life; more importantly, he provides a map of their quests, identifying their most important destinations with the ancient Sumerian sites he wrote about in The 12th Planet....
	The Lost Book of Enki by Zecharia Sitchin; His latest book. Editorial book description: Will the past become our future? Is humankind destined to repeat the events that occurred on another planet, far away from Earth? Zecharia Sitchin's bestselling series The Earth Chronicles provided humanity's side of the story-as recorded on ancient clay tablets and other Sumerian artifacts--concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, "those who from heaven to earth came." In The Lost Book of Enki, we can view this saga from a different perspective through this richly conceived...		Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization, by Graham Hancock, extends the basic argument of Hancock's 1994 Fingerprints of the Gods, a wild combination of astronomy, archeology, geology and folk myth whose worldwide success made Hancock perhaps the most popular proponent of "alternative history" as well as a publishing phenomenon. Hancock's basic thesis is simple: although mainstream scholars refuse to believe it, there once was "a lost civilization destroyed in the cataclysmic global floods that brought the last Ice Age to an end," and the survivors passed on their knowledge to the newer ancient civilizations with which we are more familiar. The search for an "Indian Atlantis" is the basis for this book, which is structured around Hancock's exploration of underwater sites near India, Japan, Taiwan and China, and in the Arabian and Mediterranean Seas.
	The Other God, by Yuri Stoyanov; synopsis by G.Hancock: During the Middle Ages medieval European dualist heresy, the "Great Heresy" of the Bogomils and the Cathars, was seen as deriving from a tradition that was 'hidden' or 'concealed' and transmitted in secrecy from the late antiquity onwards, a tradition that taught that the cosmos was a constant battleground between the forces of good and evil, between the higher God and his supernatural protagonist, the "Other God" . Indeed this "Great Heresy" poses some of the most intricate religious and political mysteries of medieval Europe. ...		Breaking the Maya Code by Michael D. Coe; From Scientific American: The decipherment of the Maya script was, Coe states, "one of the most exciting intellectual adventures of our age, on a par with the exploration of space and the discovery of the genetic code." He presents the story eloquently and in detail, with many illustrations of the mysterious Maya inscriptions and the people who tried to decipher them. Most of the credit, he says, goes to the late Yuri V. Knorosov of the Russian Institute of Ethnography, but many others participated. They did not always agree, and some of them went up blind alleys. Coe--emeritus professor of anthropology at Yale University--vividly describes the battles, missteps and successes. What is now established, he writes, is that "the Maya writing system is a mix of logograms and syllabic signs; with the latter, they could and often did write words purely phonetically."
	Edgar Cayce's Atlantis and Lemuria: The Lost Civilizations in the Light of Modern Discoveries by Frank Joseph; Editorial Review: Twenty-four centuries after Plato left us his intriguing remarks about Atlantis, Edgar Cayce began to talk, in an altered psychic state, about a lost civilization on Lemuria, Atlantis' Pacific precurser. Frank Joseph now takes a look, via archeology and other fields, at how modern discoveries are bolstering the idea that Atlantis and Lemuria really existed, the disturbing parallels between those civilizations and our own, and what those parallels may be telling us.		The Destruction of Atlantis: Compelling Evidence of the Sudden Fall of the Legendary Civilization by Frank Joseph, Zecharia Sitchin; From Robert G. Bauval, Definitely a can't-put-downer and must-read book for the enthusiast of ancient mysteries. From Andrew Collins: A valuable addition to the study of lost civilizations and ancient maritime exploration. Essential reading for all true Atlantologists.
	The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar: Solving the Oak Island Mystery by Steven Sora; From Amazon: When the Order of Knights Templar was destroyed in 1307, the secret society supposedly had vast wealth that was rumored to include the genealogies of David and Jesus and other religious artifacts as well as your run-of-the-mill gold and jewels. Over 200 years ago, the site of an elaborate vault was discovered by three teenagers on Oak Island, Nova Scotia, which was determined to have been built sometime between the 14th and 16th centuries. ...		The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett; Editorial Review: In a remarkable achievement of historical detective work that is destined to become a classic, authors Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince delve into the mysterious world of the Freemasons, the Cathars, the Knights Templar, and the occult to discover the truth behind an underground religion with roots in the first century that survives even today. Chronicling their fascinating quest for truth through time and space, the authors reveal an astonishing new view of the real motives and character of the founder of Christianity, as well as the actual historical -- and revelatory -- roles of John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene. ...
	Rex Deus: The True Mystery of Rennes-Le-Chateau by Mary Hopkins, Graham Simmans, Tim Wallace-Murphy, Marilyn Hopkins; Editorial Review: Rex Deus is an account of a modern Grail quest with all the accouterments of mystery, cryptically coded documents and tales of secret societies, persecution and genocide. All the threads in the quest lead to Rennes-le-Chateau, a French hilltop village with a turbulent history long associated with religious and political intrigue, secrets and stories of buried treasure. ...		Rosslyn by Tim Wallace-Murphy, Marilyn Hopkins; Book Description: Built by the Sinclair family in the 15th century, the mysterious Rosslyn Chapel is said to contain priceless treasure brought from France by the Knights Templar, hidden in its sealed vaults. The final destination of medieval pilgrimages to seven sacred sites throughout Europe, hundreds of ornate stone carvings detail Pagan, Christian, Masonic, Templar, and Islamic revelations. ...
	Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln, Richard Leigh; The authors spent over 10 years on their own kind of quest for the Holy Grail, into the secretive history of early France. What they found, researched with the tenacity and attention to detail that befits any great quest, is a tangled and intricate story of politics and faith that reads like a mystery novel. It is the story of the Knights Templar, and a behind-the-scenes society called the Prieure de Sion, and its involvement in reinstating descendants of the Merovingian bloodline into political power. Why? The authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail assert that their explorations into early history ultimately reveal that Jesus may not have died on the cross, but lived to marry and father children whose bloodline continues today. ...		Bloodline of the Holy Grail by Laurence Gardner; Book Description: From royal and suppressed archives comes documented proof of the heritage of Jesus in the West and the long awaited discovery of the Holy Grail. In fulfilling this time-honored quest, penetrating new light is cast upon the Grail Code of Service and the venerated feminine element, upheld in chivalry but forsaken by the Church in order to forge a male dominated society. This unique work offers revelatory insight concerning the descendent heirs of Jesus and his brother James while, in documenting a hidden legacy of the Messiah, it unveils hitherto guarded facts about characters such as Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea. Tracing the sacred lineage through centuries of persecution and Inquisition, Bloodline of the Holy Grail reveals a systematic suppression of authentic records and a strategic manipulation of the New Testament Gospels. ...
	The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus by Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas; Ingram: When the authors, both Masons, set out to find the origins of the Freemasonry they had no idea they would find themselves unraveling the true story of Jesus Christ and the original Jerusalem Church. Their startling and unexpected conclusions are presented here--backed by rigorous analyses of ancient Egyptian records, the Old and New Testaments, early Christian and Rabbinical texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the rituals of Freemasonry. ...		The Book of Hiram: Freemasonry, Venus and the Secret Key to the Life of Jesus by Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas; Amazon Reviewer: In the last ten years many books have come onto the market that explore and expose Freemasonry, the Knights Templar and the ancient connections that these groups have had in our distant past back to the time of the Egyptians. The Book of Hiram is the fourth in a series explored by Chrsitopher Knight & Robert Lomas. In this title, Knight & Lomas take us even further back, to the Stone Age where sites such as Stonehenge and Newgrange in Ireland were astronomically aligned to the movements of the stars and the rising and falling of Venus as the Morning and Evening Star in particular. As always, I was rivetted by the work and detailed research presented by both these authors. Both are themselves Freemasons ...
	Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican, by David Hatcher Childress; The Templars flee persecution and find a haven in Scotland. The skull and bones is a Templar symbol. This morphs into the 'Jolly Roger' as the Templars use their naval skills to attack their persecutors-- the Catholic Church. Any nation allied with them was not safe, i.e. Spain. There may have been some Templar pirates like Drake but beyond that it's hard to say. I enjoyed all the illustrations esp., the ancient maps.		How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill; Because the true esoteric and gnostic teaching of Jesus was rejected in favor of dogmatism and fanatics, the West was plunged into the Dark Ages. Cahill makes the case that much that was valuable from previous civilizations was saved by Irish scribes. I would add that the Islamic world also saved Greek philosophy that was later 'rediscovered by the likes of Roger Bacon and others. And there was Padmasambhava saving and expanding the teachings of Buddha in Tibet.
	Heaven's Mirror : Quest for the Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock: Publisher's Descriotion: In very different parts of the world, evidence exists of a common legacy--shared by cultures separated by hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. From Mexico to Iceland, Cambodia to Easter Island, China to Egypt, we are finding a common astronomical wisdom handed down from a time before history. The evidence includes diverse examples of megalithic architecture, which incorporate precise and sophisticated geometry and are positioned according to astronomical alignments and symbolism... [in such places] as Teotihuacan, Uxmal and Chichen Itza in Mexico, Giza-Heliopolis in Egypt, Angkor Wat in Southeast Asia, and Tiahuanaco in Bolivia.		The Culture Cult by Roger Sandall; "At its deepest level The Culture Cult is a study of moral psychology— the moral attitudes of western intellectuals dreaming about the tribal world. These are people dependent for their wellbeing on the highest levels of modern science and technology—how they should come to think like this seems a mystery. ..."
	Biocosm: The New Scientific Theory of Evolution: Intelligent Life Is the Architect of the Universe by James N. Gardner; From Publishers Weekly: Science has yet to find a way of knowing what, if anything, existed before the Big Bang that created our universe. Further, how can we account for physical laws that are so finely tuned for the creation of carbon-based life? Science writer and amateur cosmologist Gardner proposes a startling theory: that a pre-existing superintelligent race that inhabited a "mother universe" created this one and tweaked the physical laws in its baby universe to ensure the continuity of intelligent life and ...		Earth Under Fire: Humanity's Survival of the Apocalypse by Paul LaViolette; Reviewer: Deborah Leppert: One of the most interesting books I've read in a LONG TIME! Paul A. LaViolette is truly a Renaissance Man when it come knowledge. His never-ending curiosity has put together astronomy, astrology, tarot, mythology, hard-core science, legends, and a few hunches of his own . . . and out came a truly revolutionary theory on the periodic and cyclical extinctions that have occurred on our planet. It's been handed down to us in all of the above mentioned forms . . . but most of mankind chooses to ignore it. ...
	1421 by Gavin Menzies; From Publishers Weekly: A former submarine commander in Britain's Royal Navy, Menzies must enjoy doing battle. The amateur historian's lightly footnoted, heavily speculative re-creation of little-known voyages made by Chinese ships in the early 1400s goes far beyond what most experts in and outside of China are willing to...		The Friar and the Cipher: Roger Bacon and the Unsolved Mystery of the Most Unusual Manuscript in the World. by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. Review from the Miami Herald: Literary sleuths probe medieval mystery-2/27 , by Anne Bartlett-- Husband-and-wife team suggests an intriguing solution to the puzzle of The Voynich Manuscript. ... Another review: A code to rival Da Vinci's
	Galactic Alignment: The Transformation of Consciousness According to Mayan, Egyptian, and Vedic Traditions by John Major Jenkins; Editorial Description: "Explores the central role played by the galaxy in both ancient and modern times in the transformation of the human spirit. * Extends Jenkins' groundbreaking research in Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. * Reveals how the coming Galactic Alignment of era-2012 promises a renewal of human consciousness. * Uncovers the galactic vision of Mayan, Egyptian, Greek, and Vedic cosmologies. The Galactic Alignment is a rare astronomical event that brings the solstice sun into alignment with the center of the Milky Way galaxy every 12,960 years. Building on the discoveries of his book Maya Cosmogenesis 2012, Jenkins demonstrates that the end-date of 2012 does not signal the end of time but rather the beginning of a new stage in the development of human consciousness. ..." If there are changes coming, I don't think it will be passive. Our consciousness or molecules won't be naturally elevated and especially not by saying somebody's name. It will take ardent spiritually striving to mesh with the raising of vibrations. Editor		The Sion Revelation : The Truth About the Guardians of Christ's Sacred Bloodline (Paperback) by Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince -- Review from Publishers Weekly: The high tide of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has lifted many boats, and one of them is the research of Picknett and Prince, self-styled writers on "the paranormal, the occult, and historical mysteries." Authors of The Templar Revelation, a book that helped inspire Brown's novel of hidden descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, Picknett and Prince return to these enticing themes of secrets, treasures, heresy and backroom power brokering with a closer look at the Priory of Sion. In this book, they argue that the Priory is a hoax, but one that is carefully designed in the manner of misinformation leaked by intelligence agencies to achieve specific goals. Behind the hoax, they say, is a network of European esoteric societies driven by the principle of "synarchy" and influencing the coalescence of the European Union, perhaps at the expense of democracy. Like their many other books, this one is cluttered with historical minutiae and sources of varying credibility. Skeptics will shake their heads over this next conspiracy theory, but for Da Vinci Code fans hungry for additional digging behind the fiction, this will be a dense but satisfying read.
	Genetic Entropy & the Mystery of the Genome by John C. Sanford; An Amazon Reviewer: Dr John Sanford, inventor of the "gene gun" has switched positions on evolution and come out against it. His detailed scientific analysis is fairly readable for the average person but should be required reading for any scientist. He discusses topics about evolution that have been swept under the rug for decades and shows how the findings are nails in the coffin for the theory. He discusses high rates of mutation and how mutation is almost always destructive and seldom if ever adds information to the genome. Mutations are like the "rusting" of the genome; a gradual degrading process with almost all mutations being near neutral in nature and almost always destructive. He discusses the "primary axiom" in research and how most scientists accept evolution blindly with little and vague explanation. He is an insider that has seen the almost religious adherence to this theory by most in his field and has, like an increasing number of others such as Michael Behe, said "the emperor has no clothes". This just scratches the surface on the content in this great book.		Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design by Jonathan Wells, Review by Human Events: 'Politically Incorrect' Series Takes on Darwinism and Intelligent Design-9/1 by Tom Bethell-- Jonathan Wells’ Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design (Regnery) is surely the best book ever written on the problems of Darwin’s theory of evolution. I was about to say the best for laymen, but it will also be invaluable for experts. The evidence and arguments deal with such a broad range of topics that few will be conversant with them all. Wells cites scholarly literature throughout, copiously footnotes his sources, uses plain-language quotations and translates technical terms where necessary. The book is accessible to readers with no prior knowledge of the field. The story he tells is remarkable. Open-minded readers will surely conclude that the propaganda campaign on behalf of Darwinism has become so furious precisely because the scientific evidence for it is so weak.
	Mapping Paradise: A History of Heaven on Earth by Alessandro Scafi -- The Way to Eden -- A Review by Anthony Grafton, Powells/The New Republic-- In 1498, Columbus reached the coast of South America. As he entered the estuary of the Orinoco, wonders multiplied. He felt that he and his men were sailing upward, not horizontally, and wondered if the world might possibly be shaped like a pear rather than a sphere. The water itself changed as he sailed, from salt to fresh. The climate was mild, and the people he encountered struck him as handsome, intelligent, and brave. The discoverer of a new route to Asia -- Columbus still saw himself in this light, though he was coming to realize that he had actually struck a continent unknown to Europeans -- leaped to a characteristically bold conclusion: "There are great indications of the earthly paradise, for the situation agrees with the opinion of those holy and wise theologians, and also the signs are very much in accord with this idea, for I have never read or heard of so great a quantity of fresh water coming into and near the salt. And the very mild climate also supports this view." As Columbus's own situation became more difficult -- when he reached Hispaniola, he would find the population decimated and the settlement in ruins, and he would be shipped home in chains -- this bold, pragmatic, and sometimes violent adventurer began to use a new language, an apocalyptic language. Some historians have thought him insincere in this regard, others desperate. Even those who took Columbus at his word have found it hard to repress a smile at his naïveté. Alessandro Scafi disagrees with many of his scholarly predecessors, on this as on many other counts. In a revisionist book that ranges the centuries, deploys vast learning to splendid effect, and makes as deft use of visual evidence as it does of textual evidence, Scafi shows that Columbus interpreted his startling experiences in a highly reasonable way. ...		Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, And Ancient Mysteries (Paperback) by Brian Haughton-- Amazon Description: Despite being enmeshed in a culture steeped in technology and science, the magic and mysteries of the ancient world can still haunt our imagination. Through their architecture, artefacts and deeds, ancient cultures speak to us across thousands of dusty years—from the labyrinthine palace of Knossos on Crete and the lofty pyramids of Egypt to the remotest jungle temples of Peru and the megalithic mystery of Stonehenge. -- Hidden History brings together a fascinating selection of these ancient enigmas, arranging them into three sections: Mysterious Places, Unexplained Artefacts, and Enigmatic People. You’ll discover fascinating facts about: • The Great Sphinx—Mysticism and archaeology collide in the ongoing debate over this enigmatic monument. • Mystery Hill—Who built the intriguing megalithic complex lying 40 miles north of Boston? • The Antikythera Mechanism—An ancient Greek computer found beneath the Aegean Sea. • The Giant Hill-Figures of England—The Uffington White Horse and other huge chalk figures cut into the English countryside thousands of years ago. • The Queen of Sheba—Clues to the real identity of this mighty ruler famous for her Biblical visit to King Solomon • Newgrange—Hundreds of years older than the Giza Pyramid and Stonehenge. Who were the builders of this Irish megalithic monument? Hidden History fills the gap between archaeology and alternative history using the latest available data and a common sense, open-minded approach. The book discusses not only ancient history’s major mysteries, but also some of the puzzles of alternative history—like the "Coso Artefact," the possibility of ancient flight, and the mysterious "Voynich Manuscript"—as well as mysterious peoples from the Magi and the Druids to the Knights Templar and the Green Children.
	Giordano Bruno, by Ingrid D. Rowland,The Forbidden World-8/31New Yorker, by Joan Acocella-- Did a sixteenth-century heretic grasp the nature of the cosmos?-- In 1600, Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori, now a nice plaza lined with cafés, was one of the city’s execution grounds, and on Ash Wednesday of that year Giordano Bruno, a philosopher and former priest accused of heresy by the Inquisition,was taken there and burned. The event was carefully timed. AshWednesday is the primary day of Christian penance. As for the year, Pope Clement VIII chose it because 1600 was a jubilee for the Church—a festivity that would be enhanced by the execution of an important heretic. Bruno rode to the Campo on a mule, the traditional means of transport for people going to their death. (It was also a practical means. After years in the Inquisition’s prisons, many of the condemned could not walk.) Once he arrived and mounted the pyre, a crucifix was held up to his face. According to a witness, he turned away angrily. He could not speak; he had been gagged with a leather bridle. (Or, some say, an iron spike had been driven through his tongue.) He was tied to the stake, and the pyre was lit. When it had burned out, his remains were dumped into the Tiber. As Ingrid Rowland writes in “Giordano Bruno: Philosopher/Heretic” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux; $27), the Church thereby made Bruno a martyr. But “a martyr to what?” she asks. That is the question that her book, the first full-scale biography of Bruno in English, tries, with difficulty, to answer. ... I have the book and am excited about reading it soon. Editor		The Pope and the Heretic by Michael White Amazon reveiwer: By Robert Johnson-- WOW! This is an outstanding book! It covers the life of one of history's biggest heroes, Giordano Bruno. This lone free-thinker took on the most powerful force on earth in his day, Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church. (And while he was evading the deadly Catholic Church by staying in Switzerland, he challenged and upset the Calvinists and other Christian groups!) The book does a good job giving some background info on Bruno showing how he evolved from a Catholic monk into a first class free-thinker. Not only did he hold beliefs that went strongly against the "common knowledge" of his day, he was willing to fight for these ideas and truths. His spirit reminds me of the great Deist and free-thinker Thomas Paine. Both men had the courage of their convictions and were not afraid of death. Sadly, on February 19, 1600 the ignorant Christians had their way and pierced Bruno's tongue and then burned him alive. To date, the Catholic Church has not apologized for his murder. The book also does a great job of giving an overview of the Inquisition and the deadly terror they used to enforce Christianity. ... I agree with the reviewer. I liked the book although the one to the left is more in depth. Editor
	New book urges move away from dualism of mainstream religion-3/1 MMD Newswire, "Can Christians Be Saved?" by Virginia T. Stephenson and Buck Rhodes is a suggestion for a new reformation of Christianity -- Aiming be the groundbreaking and controversial religious book of the year, "Can Christians Be Saved: A Mystical Path To Oneness", by Virginia T. Stephenson and Buck A. Rhodes presents a new perspective on traditional religious teachings, turning away from the dualism that creates separation, guilt, shame and fear and turning instead toward the principle of Oneness or non-dualism. Using gestalt processes and initiations drawn from ancient sacred texts and a non-dualistic worldview, the authors discover a path free of the doctrine and judgment that make up so much contemporary religious teaching. ...		What Atheists don't want you to know about Mark Twain's secret-7/3 Ministry Values, By Stephen K. Ryan-- Mark Twain believed in the supernatural, apparitions, and loved a Catholic Saint. Mark Twain, to the surprise of almost everyone, wrote a book, a biography no less, about the life and times of Joan of Arc. The book is call the "Personal Recollections of Joan of Ark" and astonishingly he called this virtually unknown volume his "best and favorite work". Author Randel Sullivan told us recently in an e-mail "Thanks for your letter regarding my book, The Miracle Detective. I was simultaneously stirred and chagrined by what you wrote about Mark Twain and his Joan of Arc book. I have to admit that I was among those who did not know that Twain had authored such a book, let alone that he considered it his most important work." There are intriguing reasons why most folks are unaware of the beliefs of Mark Twain, but first here are the remarkable words from Mark Twain about a book he wrote about a Catholic Saint. "I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none."
			The Persian Legacy and the Edgar Cayce Material-12/24 by Kevin J. Todeschi -- Book Review by Reverse Spins, I picked up this book recently at Powell's bookstore in Portland, Or. This is one of the most interesting times in history for me. The earth hung in the balance after Atlantis. How was the Great White Brotherhood going to revive the earth with art, culture, knowledge and the esoteric teachings? They did it principally through Egypt and then Persia. I found this book fascinating. Cayce pushes back the time period for Zoroaster to around 8,000 BC. Although not always right, Edgar Cayce was correct at pegging the decline of Atlantis, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. He believed he was a high priest in Egypt then in his next embodiment, he was Uhjltd, the founder of a magnificent city in the Persian desert called Is-Shlan-doen. The seeds for Zoroastrianism were planted there in more ways than one. Uhjtld created an enlightened esoteric religion and he was apparently the grandfather of Zarathustra. Is-Shlan-doen surpassed many cities and hospitals of today.
	The Lost Secret of William Shakespeare

DVD's

	Jodhaa Akbar DVD-11/8 Editor: I finally saw Jodhaa Akbar last night on DVD. You might recall I had reviews of it posted 6 months ago, maybe longer. It was worth the wait. Just a beautifully done movie. First and foremost it was a love story but I was very impressed with the actor, Hrithik Roshan, who played Akbar. He captured his fiery will, his compassion and tolerance for different views and religions. Aishwarya Rai was beautiful as usual and portrayed Jodhaa with grace, charm and strong determination. The history of Jodhaa might be inaccurate, no matter, the important thing is that they caught the essence of Akbar. Some reviewers at Amazon say this DVD is too pixalated on large wide screen TVs. Here is Jodhaa Akbar at Wikipedia: Jodhaa-Akbar