Just back from the hols, and catching up on some of the discussions -- God knows how many posts about "The Bluestone Enigma". As the author of said outrageous book, which so many people seem to find threatening, can I say "Thanks" to those who have read it and who have encouraged others to do the same? A great deal of the debate seems to revolve around points which are actually covered in the book -- too many points to list here. I'll deal with just one point. Somebody said they had looked at the "Bluestone Enigma" web site and at the PR and reviews which I used as publicity -- and that the "hype" had been a bit of a turn-off. OK -- point taken. But can I just make one point here? Does said critic realise just how difficult it is to get a "radical" book like this taken seriously by the archaeology establishment? The senior archaeologists who have worked at Stonehenge are so seriously entrenched in their views (and are so influential) that they cannot accept alternative views. And because they control the agenda and the media, it has been virtually impossible to get the book reviewed or taken seriously. Only one archaeology journal has reviewed the book, and even that review was accompanied by a "health warning"!! Pathetic. Why are these guys so scared? So the reality is that if one takes the risk of publishing a book like this, and putting good money into it, publicity is the only means of making you guys -- and the members of the public -- aware of its existence. So I don't apologize for the hype -- the alternative would have been to publish the book quietly, without telling anybody, and hope that somebody, somewhere, might notice it. Commercial reality, folks.
....... and by the way, I still have that free book offer for anybody who is prepared to stick a review on Amazon. Details here:
www.brianjohn.f2s.com/enigma1.html
I'll take the risk that some people will post crap reviews. Can't be fairer than that......