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Summary: fills in the missing pieces of the puzzle
Review: This book fills in and satisfactorly explains the "holes" in pre-history using the abundence of over-whelming, global circumstantial evidence. Most Egyptologists and Archeologists are at a near complete loss and usually ignore or explain away evidence as coincidental that may contradict some of their life long "theories". It is fascinating watching humans protect their pride and ego defending some of these "theories" that actually defy common sense. For example: Maps from the 1500's (drawn from earlier maps) correctly depicting Antartica's mountain ranges and coast lines - without ice. Antartica was only "discovered" in the 1800's and mapped using ultra sound in the 1950's. These maps also have correct longitude. The longitude problem in navigation and map making was only corrected with accurate time pieces invented in the 1800's. The vertical water erosion marks on the Sphinx. It doesn't really rain that much in the Sahara and sand does not leave vertical erosion marks as confirmed by geology. "Flash" frozen, Wooly Mammoths and other animals that are still intact in the permafrost of Alaska, Yukon and Siberia. Anyway, enjoy reading the book.
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Summary: Pocket sized earthquake of info. turns yer world UPSIDEDOWN
Review: This pocket sized book holds an earthquake of information in its leaves and between its bindings which shakes you to the core of every thought you ever had about how the first civilisation evolved and emerged. It also teaches you in easy to understand language the essence of some of the fundamentals of how the world works in the solar system and the universe. If you only read one book in your lifetime then you may as well read this book as it will provide you with a lifetimes questions and answers.
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Summary: soap opera for uneducated reader looking for cheap sensation
Review: Any better knowing reader can recognize after a chapter or two, that this book is written by an author who is in a business of writing books, not of scientific research. Facts presented are selected to support author's theory, not to provide objective picture of the covered subject. Waste of money, unless you like to say WOW.
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Summary: Dangerous for one reason alone..
Review: There is simply too much unrelated data on phenomena that are only related by their mysterious nature. Nothing is allowed to stand on its own, everything is worked into the theory, from aliens to biblical apocalypse to Mayans to wombats..well, not really.. Arcto-Gaian fascists will love this stuff, if it ever reaches Russia. ARCTOGAIANS? you've never heard of Arctogaians?! Well, during the Czars reign, Theosophists were rampant like wolves in St. Petersburg..Then the Iron Curtain fell. Unlike the free world were theosophist died off like polio or started publishing houses, in the Soviet Bloc they festered into Esoteric Fascists. Yes, kiddies, this Arctic Atlantis stuff has been around for YEARS, yes there might be something to it, BUT that doesn't mean every amazing achievement from the worlds ancient history came via dog and sled! Its simply irresponsible to try and tack everything to one source like this. Why didn't they create teflon cookware or that swell flying car I read about back in the '50's?! I WANT MY FLYING CAR!!..
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Summary: A book for people with an open mind.Brilliant reasearch
Review: I found this book difficult to put down,it is so very well put together and offers the reader their own opinion to be made on information given. I would reccomend this book for anybody who perhaps has an underlying knowledge of Egypt and "ancient civilisations".You could fell a bit "in at the deepend",if not.
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Summary: brain candy for the gullibe
Review: gimme a break. am i the only person who's depressed to see nonsense passing itself off as archaeology being so highly praised? if the author had admitted that this patchwork of poor or phony evidence in support of an old, old theory was fiction, then the major attraction of this book (its entertainment value) could be forgiven. if you can suspend all skepticism (i couldn't) you might be able to enjoy this book, but unfortunately, most of those who did do just that also believe that this book has some firm basis on fact. and in the meantime, they believe that they've come to some deeper understanding of archaeology and ancient history through the thrilling writing of this "popularizer." how sad that the real world isn't interesting enough for some people. ancient astronauts (anything currently unexplained is becaue of et's -- didn't you know?) are like the modern mystery cult; it makes people feel good to have some sense of and be part of that mystery, so why let facts get in the way?
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Summary: Excellent, but author should give credit to Velikovksy.
Review: Velikovsky was crucified in the early 1950's by the scientific community for his book "Worlds in Collision". The good news---Velikovsky is right, and the scientific community is wrong. I am sure Hancock is aware of Velikovsky, Dave Talbott, Wal Thornhill, Eve Cochrane, and others who have spent their lives trying to present this new evidence. I think a little meekness is due -- give the pioneers credit for much of Hancock's work. However, this is another vehicle to advance the new and accurate view of really what transpired in Earth's past. Readers may whish to obtain Talbott's and Thornhill's work, "The Saturn Theory" and "Electric Universe".
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Summary: a fascinating account of the worlds greatest mysteries.
Review: FINGERPRINTS is for everybody who ever wondered. the language is simple enough for anybody to read. hancock relies on the material to make his point, and make his point he does. this is probably the best accademic paper ever written, and it reads like an adventure novel. we live in a curious world; FINGERPRINTS is a bold attempt to initiate a proper investigation of so many things conventional wisdom simply cannot explain. read it.
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Summary: A misinterpretation of "Hamlet's Mill", and racist, too
Review: This book was intriguing the first time I read it. But that was before I read one of Hancock's main sources, "Hamlet's Mill", by Georgio De Santillana and Hertha Von Dechend. (An excellent book, which I heartily recommend.) Hancock cites this work extensively, for its argument that many myths all over the world are pre-literate methods of transmitting knowledge of astronomical phenomena, specifically, precession of the equinoxes. Unfortunately, it quickly became obvious that Hancock was only interested in repeating those arguments that would buttress his new-age-area51-vondaniken-atlantean mumbo-jumbo hypothesis. He appears to have completely ignored the main thrust of their arguments, which was that legends of gods falling out of heaven, worldwide floods and fires, were simply a device for describing changes in the night sky over the millenia, and were not meant as any kind of prediction of impending catastrophe. If you want to read a book that explores the ideas of "Hamlet's Mill", and faithfully and coherently applies them to a specific culture, I heartily recommend "The Secret of the Incas", by William Sullivan. That book shows how the Incas distorted the apparent "message" of precession to scare their subjects into thinking the world was on the verge of catastrophe, ironically, much as Hancock has attempted to do with this book. Another troubling aspect about "Fingerprints", like so many in the "hidden knowlege" genre, is the idea that humans are incapable of developing civilization on their own, but need the help of some Master Race, whether it be blond-haired "Viracochas", or Martians. Indeed, "Fingerprints" sounds like some of the worst of "Afrocentric" theory, except that instead of substituting Sub-Saharan Africans for Egyptians, Hancock substitutes Antarctic "Aryans". On the other hand, he can't make up his mind if they are blond "Viracochas" or African "Olmecs" (ignoring the possibility that the Olmec heads may more closely resemble persons from Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.) And any doubts about Hancock's grip on reality should have been dispelled with the recent publication of "The Mars Mystery".
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Summary: Get out your snow boots... we're going to Atlantis!
Review: The variety and conviction of the other readers is interesting, but the comments read more like an ongoing debate in a chat room. As for myself, this book answers questions I have spent many years trying to inform myself on. Not satisfied with imaginative writers like Von Daeniken, I have read up on too many subjects to mention and in my opinion Hancock is a God send. Ancient "historians" in general and egyptologists in particular tend to speculate a little too freely without actually considering the validity of their assumptions and the damage their theories can do. And, of course, anyone who disagrees with them obviously is not an "expert." Hancock's book is the first I have read which effectively dismantles the theories the "experts" are asking you to believe. Best of all, you can see for yourself how weak the theories really are. And let's face it. Would any of us really be that surprised if it turned out that the egyptologists privately had reservations about their theories but were publicly more concerned about how lame they would look having to admit they had gotten it all wrong this whole time? I was impressed from my own familiarity with the subject as to the accuracy and comprehensiveness of his research. I definitely recommend as a book that makes you THINK. I did dock him a point, though, for tacking the crustal displacement theory part onto the book the way congressmen tack pay raises onto school-funding bills. Besides, the best-researched book in the world on ancient history ain't gonna PREDICT the future. Ciao for now
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