Rating: 
Summary: wilson on the downard spiral
Review: "the atlantis blueprint" is good reading if you're in the mood for some h.p. lovecraft dressed up as non fiction, but if you want something actually historical and objective, look elsewhere. why does wilson insist on slow intellectual suicide with these kind of nonsensical and cranky books when he is such a basically brilliant and passionately driven thinker? he is not a charlatan, as the orthodoxy would have us believe, but he isn't exactly einstein either when it comes to critical intelligence....it is a sort of derangement of the senses as rimbaud advocated where wilson deranges his own perceptions using cranky books and topics that have no relevance whatever?
Rating: 
Summary: IMPORTANT AND WORTH WHILE -- THOUGH FLAWED
Review: 500 years ago the most important single advance in our western civilization was the heliocentric theory articulated by Copernicus and confirmed by Galileo, Kepler, and others. Today the greatest single issue that cries for attention is the untold past history of our planet, which is the crux of this collaborative effort by Colin Wilson (The Outsider) and Rand Flem-Ath (When the Sky Fell). Their book is not seminal, it's a continuation of the dialogue begun by such revolutionary thinkers as Charles Hapgood (The Path of the Pole) and Immanuel Velikovsky (Worlds in Collision). Nevertheless, it makes important contributions and is certainly worth a read. Has our earth experienced repeated catastrophic events -- that wiped out previous high civilizations with hardly a trace? Plato thought so (see his Timaeus) and growing evidence certainly points in this direction. The Atlantis Blueprint argues that the location of ancient archaeological sites is not arbitrary, but reflects a planet-wide grid system that becomes evident once it is understood that in the ancient world Giza (rather than Greenwich) was the prime meridian of longitude. Wilson and Flem-Ath can't take credit for this idea. Credit goes to the royal astronomer Piazzi Smythe, who pioneered modern scientific intrumentation at Giza (see Smythe's The Great Pyramid). Still, Flem-Ath uses the Giza meridian model to predict where ancient sites ought to be found -- then goes for a look -- and, what do you know? he finds them, spot on. This is the book's most impressive contribution. There's also much more here that's worth a look. The material covered is vast. My problem with the author's case is that while I agree with the crustal displacement theory, the actual locations of the former north pole remain to be determined. The authors casually toss off coordinates as if these locations were already precisely known. They jump the gun in this respect, presenting very little hard evidence for the true coordinates of the former Hudson's Bay, Greenland Sea and Yukon poles. Hapgood had good reason to conclude the former pole shifts, but his locations were estimates, and it seems to this reviewer that more work remains to be done to firm up the precise points on the map. For this reason, The Atlantis Blueprint should be read with a critical eye -- but it should be read. The book offers food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: Illogical and usupported
Review: First my criticism: It got very frustrating reading this book mentioning longitudes and latitudes over and over and their significance without any frame of reference. A dozen or so basic diagrams showing these positions would have be a great help. Basically we read about the blueprint---but we don't see it. Still this book is brings forth a very interesting theory without jumping into silly sensational ideas like aliens and such. On the other hand they weren't afraid to reference nut jobs like Stichen when Stichen had a valid point. After all, the nice thing about the deluded is they don't have any qualms about delving into things others wouldn't and in the process actually stumble on valuable nuggets of truth. You'll see some reviewers effectively labelling the authors of this book "nutjobs" but I, for one, think that's simply not the case. The findings are pretty clear and they present a theory based on it. Time and new discoveries (if allowed to be known by the all-too-frequently blinded powers that be in the archeaological world) will tell. In the meantime this book provides a very interesting and compelling theory. It would have been nice if they would have shared a figure with regard to the final theory put forth on the possible position Atlantis. Nevertheless, the book is well written and well-documented.
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER GOOD READ FROM WILSON
Review: Honestly, I am just half way through this book. However, I find it very interesting and enjoyable, as much as I enjoyed reading Colin Wilson's Alien Dawn and From Atlantis to the Sphinx. I have just finished reading a few other books the past few months. These are Lynn Picknett's and Clive Prince's "The Stargate Conspiracy", Andrew Collins' "Gateway to Atlantis" and Ian Wilson's "Before the Flood". Before we jump onto the bandwagon and proclaim that the Antartica was Atlantis, we should review the evidences offered by the above mentioned authors. I myself have no doubt of the Earth shifting crust and that the Antartica was once inhabited by human beings. Personally, I tend to think that just as there are many stories about floods in almost all the cultures around the world, there could be more than one advanced civilisation that existed once upon a time. I find that the argument about the tracing the tips of the three pyramids at Giza to its point of origin using a phi curve and then joining it to the hind leg of the sphinx to point towards the so-called Hudson Bay pole was a bit shaky. Anyway, this is one point I find not so convincing at the halfway mark of the book. Perhaps I can find more interesting points for open discussion here. Anyway, Colin's books are always great but not always right!
Rating: 
Summary: Bravo! from the co-author of ATLANTIS IN AMERICA
Review: How old is civilization itself? In a groundbreaking work that describes over 60 sacred sites, from Jericho to the stone spheres of Costa Rica, Colin Wilson and Rand Flem-Ath give us much more than a glimpse of ancient civilizations before a universal cataclysm wiped them out -- they give us substance. The origins of these civilizations and the exact nature of their technological skills remain hidden -- these were coastal city-states built when sea levels were 400 feet lower and most proofs of their existence rest now under similar depths of water. However, not all is lost. These civilizations have left a scattering of lasting monuments and evidence of interconnection that has long confounded traditional archaeology -- from similar methods of mummification (with evidence of cocaine and tobacco where least expected) to underwater pyramids. And in discovering their means of communication and contact -- via open sea navigation as described by Thor Heyerdahl and Ivar Zapp -- Wilson and Flem-Ath have uncovered a virtual blueprint, complete with ancient sacred alignments, that uses science to prove the existence if a continent that has long been confirmed by myth. To find one location of Atlantis that is not speculative, but confirmed by huge stones formed into perfect spheres see Chapter Six of this work which is almost wholly devoted to ATLANTIS IN AMERICA: NAVIGATORS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating hypothesis, compelling reading!
Review: Put briefly, the premise of this book is that an advanced civilization existed in distant prehistory, sometime around 10,000 - 12,000 B.C. Its cultural center was located on what is now the continent of Antarctica and was wiped out due to a global cataclysm: a shift in the earth's pole, from a former North Pole in the Hudson Bay in Canada to the current North Pole location in the Arctic. This pole shift brought tremendous upheaval and resulted in sheets of ice covering Antarctica. These ice sheets prevent today's researchers and explorers from uncovering the strongest evidence of its existence. The inhabitants of this civilization were technically advanced, particularly in the area of geology and possibly in other areas as well, including acoustics. In terms of geology they were able to figure out that even earlier pole shifts had occurred and, the authors surmise, were able to predict that there was another one coming that was going to wipe out most of what they had come to build. They had two goals: to create as permanent a memorial as possible to their existence and to pass along their knowledge to subsequent cultures. This memorial would encode a message to a future, advanced civilization that it, too, should be aware of the existence of pole shifts. Wilson and Flem-Ath postulate that this ancient civilization accomplished its first goal -- memorializing their civilization -- by creating a huge network of "markers" at meaningful locations around the globe. Giza was chosen as the prime meridian, partly due to its being the geological "center of mass" of the continental array of the time. The global survey resulted in markers being placed all of the globe, at regular intervals of degrees of latitude and with orientations that pointed to the pre-shift pole location and/or to the post-shift location. Through this means they knew that a future advanced civilization -- one that also had knowledge of the earth's dimensions and poles -- would be able to interpret their message. The Great Pyramid of Giza, as the monument located at the center of world mass and on the then-prime meridian, provided the most carefully coded clues based on its dimensions and design. As the people of this culture came into contact with the other, less advanced cultures of the time, they made a powerful impression. They were often considered to be gods or angels. As a result, their influence is expressed in a miriad of ways: as Mayan gods, angels in the Book of Enoch, Egyptian gods, etc. In addition, the sites they marked in their survey came to be considered sacred sites. This resulted in sacred temples, shrines, and buildings being erected. "The Atlantis Blueprint" presents a remarkable overview of how sacred sites all over the world -- from Stonehenge to Easter Island -- fit into the scheme created by the lost civilization. It even shows how it has become possible to actually predict where an ancient site *should* be located, based on the blueprint, and how certain sites came to be discovered based on it. (This latter point was to me the most compelling part of the authors' presentation, since the truest test of any theory is its ability to not only explain past phenomena, but to *predict* future phenomena. Wilson and Flem-Ath's concept of the site markers provides a straightforward way to test their ideas -- if their techniques can be applied to areas of the globe where historical sacred sites have not yet been uncovered, and this results in the discovery of sites at those locations, then it adds tremendous weight to their ideas. And, indeed, this is just what happens.) The book is entertaining and engrossing. It also provides an excellent starting point for exploring various other theories about the possible existence of this civilization, including the books by Charles Hapgood, Andrew Collins, Graham Hancock, and Robert Bauval. In some instances, Flem-Ath and Wilson provide elegant summaries of these authors' theories. (Based on this book I myself have now decided to read books by Hancock and Bauval as well as more about the Book of Enoch, the Templars, and the Mayans.) Some points I would like to make in addition: The book does not propose that Antarctica itself took a "voyage", or that any islands sank into the sea, but rather that the longitude of Antarctica shifted and thereby radically altered its climate. In addition, Wilson and Flem-Ath do *not* claim that the advanced civilization actually built all of the sacred monument that exist at these important latitude locations. Instead they believe that the local inhabitants were responsible for the monuments, viewing the locations as sacred due to the fact that the revered "gods" had placed markers on them. Also, you will notice that I have avoided using the term "Atlantis" to refer to this ancient civilization, since I think many readers may find the Atlantis association too "New Age" for comfort. Perhaps these people did refer to their home city as Atlantis, or maybe it was Plato who is more responsible for the name, but whatever the case, for me it is the possible existence of this civilization that is most important. Finally, some readers might find it more helpful to read the Appendices *first*, then the main portion of the book. The Appendices provide some nice summaries of Wilson and Flem-Ath's theories that I probably would have liked having under my belt before I began the book. Highly recommended to those with open minds and inquisitive natures.
Rating:
Summary: A very worthy read
Review: Reading through this book I do realize this book does have its faults and at times simply denies some widely respected findings for the earths moving crusts. But just because a view is widely accepted does not mean it is right. I personnaly have to disagree with some of which is said but when you sit down and read this book some of the critical thinking and connections Wilson and Flem-Ath create are amazing. It will cause you to think long and hard whether there was an ancient race before the Sumerians. Whether you agree with the authors viewpoints or totally disagree, some of what they found and explore, though at times off-topic it seems, is very interesting. I would highly suggest picking up a copy of "The Atlantis Blueprint" and reading what these men have to say as you will be quite suprised at what you will find.
Rating:
Summary: Illogical and usupported
Review: There is no evidence of any kind that a highly developed civilization ever existed on Antartica. Period. The only good thing I can say about this is that it is better than the Flem Ath fantasy novel "When the Sky Fell".
Rating:
Summary: A pretty good read.
Review: This book opens a door to possibilities that might be real. His basic point is soild, and amazing in it's simplicity. He relates the change in orbital rotation with that of the migration of the magnodynamic flux of the Earth. This, while is completely well known in the world of geology, is little understood elsewhere. That is too bad, because his theories answer many questions....many that cannot be answered using the current accepted evolutionary theories. This is not a book for someone to read cold turkey. I would suggest some fine books on alternative science and history first. But once read, his points are clear and stunning. Was there a global seafaring culture in 75,000 BC? I don't know, but he certainly has opened the door to speculation.
Rating:
Summary: Stunningly weak
Review: This is really pseudoscience at it's worst, right on down to the level of incorporating old Ignatius Donnelley's Aryan master race mind rot that seems to be suffering a troubling re-emergence in recent years. The authors dismiss anything the scientists have discovered regarding such matters as continental drift, including a mile-by-mile mapping of the ocean basins that fails to reveal the instantaneous migration and plunge of even a small island through the Earth's crust (much less the entire continent of Antarctica embarking on a trans-oceanic three hour cruise), as simply irrelevant. Followers of Ignatious Donnelley (the patron saint of master race occultism) seem to embrace the word "irrelevant' as a magic charm, to be used whenever anything too relevant looms.
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