AN UPDATE FROM ALAN F. ALFORD
18th April 2002

It is now approximately six months since the publication of my book 'THE ATLANTIS SECRET: A COMPLETE DECODING OF PLATO'S LOST CONTINENT', and I am delighted to report that the book has had a splendid reception.  As is my custom, I am circulating herewith all of the 'review comments' thus far received.

The idea, obviously, is that you haven't read 'THE ATLANTIS SECRET' yet, then you are missing something, and you ought to!!!  Please forgive this blatant 'plug', but these are difficult times for an author to make a living.  For details on obtaining the book, see the note at the end of this message.

I have placed the one long review at the end, so we may begin with the 'short and sweet' comments.

Firstly, there is the balanced critique of Professor Christopher Gill, made in his Foreword to the book:

"There are a number of features of this book that I warmly welcome. One is the refreshing scepticism, in a work aimed at a wide readership, about attempts to Œfindı Atlantis in a literal sense.  Another is the way that the book points the reader firmly back to the Platonic sources and ideas, to the Greek myths that Plato certainly knew, and to the Near Eastern myth-patterns that may underlie these myths.  Above all, I applaud the lucidity of Alfordıs argument and the transparency with which his claims are based on either quoted or fully documented sources.  I am very glad to have encountered such a lucid and wide-ranging statement of the Exploded Planet Hypothesis, and to see it applied so suggestively to the Atlantis story."
Christopher Gill, Professor of Ancient Thought and Head of the Department of Classics & Ancient History at the University of Exeter in England.
(note: Professor Gill is widely recognised as one of the world's leading experts on Plato and the Atlantis story;  I feel very honoured to have his support 'in principle').

Two magazines have offered comments so far.  I will hold back the long comment to the end. This short one is from Nexus:

"Alford's exploded planet hypothesis [of myth] puts a completely new spin on
ancient cultures and religions."
Nexus Magazine, Feb-March 2002.

Now here are some individuals' comments, beginning with one from Colin Wilson - that 'master of the genre' - whose thoughts about Atlantis differ substantially from my own:

³ Those who like to believe that Atlantis lies somewhere beneath the waves will be disappointed to learn that Plato invented Atlantis as a myth about the creation of the Universe. Alford may have rejected Sitchin, but he has learned from his old master how to dazzle the reader with his knowledge of ancient texts and ancient history.  It is fascinating to watch Alford's amazing mind at work, weaving together ancient religion, myth and history into a tapestry of wonderful intellectual richness.  Long before the end, I stopped asking myself whether I could accept his premises, and sat back and enjoyed myself, like someone being taken on a tour of a fascinating landscape.²
Colin Wilson, author 'The Outsider' and 'From Atlantis to the Sphinx'.

"A most thought-provoking and interesting read.  I found your hypothesis to be very plausible and well-written.  I think Christopher Gill's Foreword was spot on."
Pauline Randall

³Illuminating, in the best sense of the word.  ŒThe Atlantis Secretı is absolutely amazing.²
Earl Hazell, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer.

"Great new book on the Atlantis myth, and probably the most holistic explanation of Greek mythology I've ever read."
Ben Mulvey

"I have recently finished reading your latest book 'The Atlantis Secret' and I must admit to being somewhat overwhelmed.  In substance, I agree with your findings and think that you are on to a very real and central commonality between many early beliefs.  Congratulations on a
masterful book!"
Steve Light

"I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Atlantis Secret'.  It was up to your usual high standard."
Colin Edwards

"I am impressed.  Your theory on Atlantis is one of the better ones I've seen.  For the first 80 per cent, I was very concerned about it being reductionist.  But it was interesting, shocking and also FUN to see you turn it all round in the last 20 per cent, i.e. the "mythical" rather than the "physical" exploding planet."
Glaucus Osborne

"A fascinating book, and a very valuable contribution to the vexed question of Atlantis.  The evidence for Atlantis being a metaphor for the creation myth does now seem to be very plausible and clear."
Peter Zoeftig

³As usual, an excellent piece of work!  Frustrating because once again you demonstrate what should be blatantly obvious to all of us, yet we have remained Œblindı to the facts.  ŒThe Atlantis Secretı was a little different in one respect though - this time I was unsure of the final outcome until the very end, I spent my time saying Œyes he isı, Œno heıs notı!  It was also nice to be taken through Greek mythology with such ease - you have clarified much that confused me years ago when I first read Plato and Socrates.  I am sure that your series of books will one day be classified as groundbreaking classics.²
Alan McGourlay

"Your work on Atlantis is excellent.  Well done."
Rob Whiteside

"Wow!  This is one of the very best books I have ever read!  Nobody ever solved the mystery better and clearer.  To me, itıs not really a book about the Œexploded planet cultı, but above all, a wonderful book about ourselves and about who we really are.  I've been asking myself so many questions about the human life and soul since I was a little child, and I think I found the answers to my questions just a few years ago...  In this great book, I found so many aspects of my answers, beliefs and thoughts - somehow you put a foundation under my thoughts and beliefs.  And once again, one question was always there in my head while reading: "Why didn't anybody else find it all out before?"  It all seems to be so clear and simple, and it makes so much sense.  The pieces just fit!  Nobody ever solved the mystery better and clearer.  Once again, you did a super-great job!  All my very best congratulations, and above all, all my very best wishes that this outstanding book will get all the recognition and success that it deserves so much!²
Christiane Mueller

"When you sit down to read a book that covers a subject one is somewhat familiar with and has been written about extensively, you always wonder if the material presented will be old hat.  In the case of 'The Atlantis Secret', it covers familiar ground but, at last, finally provides a coherent, consistent, thoroughly analyzed and presented explanation to the mysteries and myths of the ancient Greeks that still are clouded to this day.  After reading 'The Atlantis Secret' you too will be initiated into the ways of the ancient Greeks.  With Alford's assistance, we all can now plumb the depths of the knowledge that has heretofore been misunderstood."
Jim Lewandowski

Finally, here is the one long review to date, published by the editor of Living Traditions Magazine in Australia:

REVIEW OF 'THE ATLANTIS SECRET'
BY DHARMA SIVAN, EDITOR, LIVING TRADITIONS MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2002
 
How are we to understand the myth of Atlantis?  This question may seem academic to many, however it has become central to the 'new archaeology' today.  Researchers around the globe are scouring the earth for signs of the lost continent and have found 'possible' locations ranging from the Atlantic to South America.  Each location has its proponents and they endlessly bicker with each other about what the 'supposed' evidence means.  The strange thing about all this is that the whole 'Atlantis industry' has developed out of a singular approach to the subject.  Rather than returning to the original texts, the general trend has been to accept the theories that have gone before and never question the foundation on which they are
based.  And the foundations of the physical approach to Atlantis are seen, by many, as very shaky indeed.  They all rely on taking the account Plato gives as historical truth.  This approach, where gods are seen as historical figures, mythical lands as continents, and so on, while popular in 'new age' literature has been largely discredited, and many have come to the conclusion that what is needed in the Atlantis debate is a new and fresh approach.

However, whilst academia has studied most literature, including philosophical and sacred texts, from a contextual standpoint with reference to the traditions that created it, this has not happened with Plato's story of Atlantis.  So Alan Alford has taken what is really a very common sense approach to the subject and allowed Socrates and Plato to speak for themselves.  In doing so, he has offered a radical re-evaluation of the Atlantis story.

Alford's work is erudite and persuasive.  It offers an excellent overview of many schools of Greek philosophy, gives an intelligent and articulate deciphering of the nature of Greek myth and offers an understanding of Atlantis in context with the Platonic traditions.  Put simply, Alford gives Atlantis back its context and conceptual framework and this is a real move
forward in the field.

Alford shows how the gods and myths of Ancient Greece (and indeed Egypt and Mesopotamia) were based on a catastrophic event, which predated man himself.  While certainly the Velikovsky model of catastrophe is useful, Alford posits a disaster before history and posits a primal catastrophe that gave birth to the Earth and resulted in the primary myths of mankind. Alford sees this event as the explosion of a planet and carefully defines the exploded
planet hypothesis as a myth, and not a historical, eye-witnessed event.  What then the myth describes is a coded record of the very beginnings of the Universe.

The EPH (Exploded Planet Hypothesis) that Alford outlines go further than simply the material origin of our Universe.  He suggests that this primal planet, which the ancients saw as the planet of Heaven, not only harbored biological life, but was itself a living entity.  When this planet exploded, it produced a deluge of 'soul' fragments that brought life to the then
barren Earth.  So, while the earth had been physically transformed by the deluge of meteorites and floodwaters, the appearance of life had been caused by what was essential a metaphysical process.
 
Alford uses this primal event to explain the origins of myth, legend and indeed religion.  He suggests that most religions are 'exploded planet cults', where man worships a supreme, invisible deity who is conceptualized as an exploded planet, i.e. as a planet that exploded long ago, thereby conveying to Earth the breath of life, the waters of life, and the seeds of life.
 
'The Atlantis Secret' is a challenging and thought-provoking book.  Alford critically examines Plato's story of Atlantis giving it back its conceptual homeland within Platonic mysticism, ancient Greek religion, the esoteric Greek writings, and ancient cultures.
 
He builds on his theory, as presented in his earlier work 'When The Gods Came Down', that the religions of Egypt and Sumer were 'exploded planet cults', and he demonstrates that these earlier cultures transmitted their ideas and myths to the Greeks.  He hence deduces that the Greek religion was an 'exploded planet cult' and that Atlantis can only be truly understood in
this context.  Alford offers a truly impressive decoding of the Atlantis myth and along the way explains some of the great mysteries of Platonic and Greek thought.  This is certainly one of the most ground-breaking books in the study of Atlantis for some time. While most books seem to generate a lot of heat and little light, in this superb volume Alford has been able to
focus a beam on the essential issues which the Atlantis mystery involves and perhaps, at last, answer the simple question: what did Plato really have in mind when he wrote his story of Atlantis?
Dharma Sivan, Editor, Living Traditions Magazine.

That's all for now, folks!  Keep the feedback flowing!  All comments - both favourable and critical - are very much appreciated.

To purchase a copy of 'The Atlantis Secret', price £18.00 (USD $27.00, Euros 28.8) plus post and packing, go to the on-line "bookshop" at the Eridu Books website.  We accept most major credit cards, which may be processed through our secure on-line payment system operated by WorldPay.  If you don't have a credit card or have a problem with on-line purchasing, please contact Eridu Books at alford@eridu.co.uk, or by telephone +44 1543 452577 or fax + 1543 370453, or through snailmail at P.O. Box 107, Walsall, WS9 9YR, England.

PS Please copy this message to anyone whom you think might be interested.  Also, if you know anyone who might be prepared to sponsor (i.e. finance) my future research and publication programme, then I would be very interested to hear about it.