Product description
Review
Hancock challenges orthodox history with extraordinary theories of a vanished early civilisation destroyed by a cataclysm… However heretical his arguments, his sweep through the ancient world is arresting and audacious ―
Daily MailFrom the Publisher
Every once in a while there is a book that places a very large question mark against the accepted view of history. An example is Ignatius Donnelly’s Atlantis, which was published in 1882, and inspired a whole new genre of book in the late Victorian era.
The equivalent book today is Graham Hancock’s Fingerprints of the Gods. Since its publication in 1995, hundreds of writers have followed in Hancock’s footsteps, but he has sold and continues to sell more than any of his followers, and on the ‘alternative history’ lecture circuit he remains the greatest draw.
There are several reasons for this, I believe. As a former Financial Times journalist, Hancock did not enter the subject area as a ‘believer’, and the text has all the excitement of discovery about it. The reader is drawn in to the theories in tandem with the author, who writes in such a way that the reader’s mind races ahead, trying to get to all the connections before the author does – a are gift in narrative non-fiction. Quite difficult ideas are dealt with deftly and in a way which does not impede the narrative flow. And lastly there is the book’s ambition, its boldness. Here is a complete history of everything in the world ever. Very few writers can pull this off, but when they do, they are usually rewarded with very large sales.
All this not only makes Fingerprints the biggest best-seller in the area, it also makes it the book that career academics hate the most. It is not that it espouses levitating blocks of granite or channelled agony aunt advice from an ancient Egyptian priestess or Atlantean black magic bringing on the floods, but in view of the howls of execration it provokes, it might as well do. Perhaps these academics’ reasoning runs along similar lines to ‘if smoke dope, you’ll be on heroine next’?
My own interpretation is that the people who hate Hancock – as I say, mostly academics – are militant materialists who have a horror of the spiritual. They may say they are spiritual, but what they mean by that word is something like ‘keen on finding moral and aesthetic values’, such as having a feeling of wonder when they look at a night sky, which isn’t what the word means at all. Now again, Fingerprints isn’t a book that espouses spiritual values, at least not openly, but Hancock has since become something of a spiritual leader to his many followers.
The odd thing about these purportedly high-minded militant materialists is that they are prepared to resort to dishonesty in debate, so keen are they to stamp out the spiritual element. No doubt it’s all for a higher good.
In December 2000 a BBC Horizon programme about Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval, author of another ground-breaking book in the area, The Orion Mystery and co-author with Graham of Keeper of Genesis, made them look bad. The programme was based largely on interviews with them which they felt had been edited in an unfair way. Their complaint to the Broadcasting Standards Commission was in part upheld, and when the documentary was re-shown, it was with changes, but not as many as the authors would have liked. This new edition contains the full transcripts of the tapes so that the reader can make up his/her mind, together with a new introduction which gives the state of play in the arguments for and against the antediluvian civilisation. It also contains 16 pages of beautiful new photographs by Graham’s wife Santha.
Fingerprints of the Gods was the book which started the debate in our time, and this new edition also makes it the most up-to-date book on the vital issues.
Adrian J. Smith –
Graham Hancock has provided both a page-turner, and a groundbreaking work of truly revolutionary research. Fingerprints of the Gods is both a historical who dunnit, a travelogue, and a prophecy of doom. As for the latter, that is perhaps what this work has become best known for, namely as the direct inspiration behind Roland Emmerich’s 2012, and indeed the work on possible global cataclysms dominates the last chapter of the book.However, the true strength of the book is Hancock’s convincing case of a lost civilization, possibly situated in Antarctica (Hancock does not speak with certainty on this matter) that served as the precursor of all the New World and Old World Civilizations, and how certain features cannot be ruled out as coincidence. Amongst these are the remarkable similarities of figures such as Viracocha, Osiris and Noah, the compelling fact that almost all mythologies speak of a deluge, or some kind of preceding cataclysm, and the reality of star maps corresponding to ancient structures, such as Tiotihuacan, and the Pyramids at Giza.The central thesis is that this civilization was destroyed by a cataclysm, and it’s knowledge perished with it. Knowledge that orthodox understanding of history vastly underestimates.Why do I rate Graham Hancock when some dismiss him as a Pseudo-Archaeologist? Because his work encompasses first class, cutting edge research, and his theories are backed up by experts within the field.Graham Hancock has provided us with the insight, and necessary precision to look beyond the prejudices of traditional research and scholarship, find the important, game changing insights, couple them with expert insight, and provide the groundwork for a potent challenge to traditional scholarship on the division between ancient history, and pre-history.Graham Hancock is modest in his approach. He does not offer conclusions on his work, and does not speak with certainty of a civilization within Antartica, rather he simply posits it as a possibility.Fingerprints is a divisive book, but it has at least made a believer out of me with regard to his theories on the ancient world. I am somewhat of a skeptic toward doomsaying, however, Hancock’s scholarship on the ancient world is first class, informative, and in all, makes for a true page-turner.
Laid back grafter –
This book is a terrific read, especially if you are cognizant with the subject matter to start with, if you are not it may be a difficult starter book. There is plenty to get to grips with, (the subject matter and quantity at 720 pages with photograph plates). Graham Hancock challenges conventional thinking in his writing and with his analysis of ancient sites i.e. the Nazca spider, Pacal’s sarcophagus and Machu Picchu to name but three. His writing manages to impart enthusiasm to the reader and takes you along on a enthralling journey. Highly recommended unless you are unfamiliar with ancient sites and myths. I’ll revisit my review when I’ve completed the book.
Gordon Wright –
I wasn’t impressed at all by the early part of this book. The arguments put forward did not seem convincing and it was poorly written. I persisted though and I’m glad I did. It takes digestion of the whole book to actually see that the writer is onto something. The problem is that the book is badly structured. Rather than being written in a planned way which might pull the reader into his theories, it seems more like reading his notes in the order he wrote them. It has some great content though which really makes you think. You don’t have to agree with him in order to make this a worthwhile read. Even if he doesn’t convince you that he does have all the answers, hopefully he will convince you that there are some genuine mystery’s out there that maybe you might find your own answers to.I have a PhD in biochemistry and let me tell you how academia works. Scientists (historians are similar) are like sheep they all nod their head in agreement as regards to the accepted theory. They don’t like to step out of line and be ridiculed for having an alternative view. When the theory gets debunked (usually by the ‘leader’ in the field) and a new theory is accepted, its frightening how quickly they all adopt it (and the data they are generating and publishing, suddenly shifts from supportive of the old theory to supportive of the new theory).We need people like Hancock to challenge accepted wisdom…they don’t have to be right to make a difference. There are other ‘alternative’ historians who will try to trick you by telling you half truths etc about the facts, just to sell their whacky theory. These guys we don’t need. I feel that Hancock genuinely tries to stick to the facts and draw his own conclusions, even if (like everyone else) he can at times see those facts the way that suits him.Don’t expect and easy or enjoyable read though. At least not for the first half of a very long tome of a book.
NKTT –
Mind opening, evidence packed
Graham perfectly presented evidence so we can question everything we know about the world. I like the touch of religion too. Amazing. Eyeopening.
Mário Soster Neto –
Beautiful edition
A really nice piece. Shout out to the packaging employees for the exceptional job.
Amazon Customer –
great condition
arrived in great condition
Ahmet Arif –
Loved it
Very nice. You can read it several times, since its very informative. Very detailed.I have not finished it so far, almost half through, since I sometimes read the same capital twice of more and then talk about it at work the next day. Nice icebreaker and super interesting.
Umberto Mazzella –
Interessantissimo.
Masterpiece. Tutti dovrebbero leggerlo