Graham Hancock
From The Red Pill
Life
Graham Hancock was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, although he was raised initially in India, where his father found employment as a surgeon. Upon his family's return to England, he was schooled at Durham, graduating from Durham University in 1973 with First Class Honours in Sociology. He took up journalism, gaining a reputation for quality writing in many of Britain's leading newspapers.
His reporting and travels through Asia and Africa began to evolve into complete books during the 1980s. His first book, Journey Through Pakistan, was published in 1981. It was followed in 1983 by two books on Ethiopia (Under Ethiopian Skies in 1983, and Ethiopia: The Challenge of Hunger in 1984), and subsequently AIDS: The Deadly Epidemic in 1986. In 1989 Hancock published the widely-acclaimed critique of foreign aid, Lords of Poverty.
His breakthrough book though took a turn into the 'alternative history' genre. The Sign and The Seal, an investigation into the possibility that the Ark of the Covenant exists today, became a bestseller. Hancock's blend of historical investigation mixed with a well-written travelogue served as the basis of his success. This continued in his most popular book, Fingerprints of the Gods, which was published in 1995 and has now sold more than three million copies. Focusing on the search for a lost civilisation (Atlantis), and summarising the work of many 'alternative theorists', from Robert Bauval and his Orion Correlation Theory to Charles Hapgood's Crustal Displacement Theory, the travelogue stopped in at many of the world's major sacred sites, such as Machu Picchu, Tiahuanaco and the Giza Pyramids.
Later books such as Keeper Of Genesis (published as The Message of the Sphinx in the US) and Heaven's Mirror (with his photographer wife Santha Faiia have also been Number 1 bestsellers. His most recent book is Supernatural, which investigates the sudden appearance of art and culture into human prehistory, and asks whether this rapid 'evolution' was brought about by shamanic altered states of consciousness, most notably induced by hallucinogens such as Ayahuasca and Magic Mushrooms. The book also queries the 'reality' of such experiences, citing the work of alien abduction researcher John Mack, DMT investigator Rick Strassman, and respected UFO author Jacques Vallee.
Books
- The Sign and the Seal
- Fingerprints of the Gods
- Keeper of Genesis (with Robert Bauval)
- The Mars Mystery (with Robert Bauval and John Grigsby)
- Heaven's Mirror (with wife Santha Faiia)
- Underworld
- Talisman (with Robert Bauval)
- Supernatural
