{"title":"Books by Andrew Collins","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781591434450","title":"The First Female Pharaoh","description":"Cleopatra. Nefertiti. Hatshepsut. All of them are ancient Egyptian female rulers who rose above their predominantly patriarchal societies to become controllers of a great empire. Missing from this list, however, is Sobekneferu, ancient Egypt’s first female ruler. Why was the reign of this powerful woman all but forgotten?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Piecing together the lost history of the first female pharaoh, Andrew Collins presents the first comprehensive biography of Sobekneferu. Using every text and monument that concerns Sobekneferu and her time in power, he examines her achievements as ruler, the political and religious issues of her age, the temples and ruins associated with her, and her continuing impact on ancient Egypt after her reign. He explores her relationship with her brother Amenemhet IV, her sister Neferuptah, and their father Amenemhet III, regarded as one of the most beloved pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom. He examines Sobekneferu’s untimely end, the fate of her body, and the cult that developed in her name.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Discussing Sobekneferu’s magical beliefs and practices, Collins shows how they centred on the crocodile god Sobek, the hippo goddess Neith, and the circumpolar stars of the night sky in which they were personified. He also reveals how the setting of the Crocodile Star (Eltanin), the brightest star in the constellation of Draco, aligns with Sobekneferu’s suspected pyramid. Examining the modern-day resurrection of Sobekneferu among the occultists and mystics of Victorian London, Collins shows how she is the true inspiration behind every ancient Egyptian female queen who comes back to life after her tomb is found--as featured first in Bram Stoker’s shocking 1903 novel \u003ci\u003eThe Jewel of the Seven Stars\u003c\/i\u003e and later in several modern blockbuster movies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Revealing how Sobekneferu has left a lasting impact on culture and occulture through the ages despite being nearly erased from history, Collins shows how her continuing legacy is perhaps, ultimately, her true resurrection.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128625627314,"sku":"9781591434450","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781591434450.jpg?v=1786023273"},{"product_id":"9780753552711","title":"Billy Bragg","description":"\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eLove me or hate me. It's a great read’ - \u003c\/i\u003eBilly Bragg\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eHe was a punk. He was a soldier. He was a flag-waver for the Labour Party and the miners. He is Billy Bragg, passionate protest folk singer and tireless promoter of political and humanitarian causes around the world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  His life encapsulates so much about his generation: born in the late ’50s, passions forged by punk, politics shaped by Thatcherism, career inspired by engagement, hope provided by the end of the Cold War and ideology galvanised by what he sees as a ‘post-ideological’ twenty-first century. He adapts to survive: serious about compassion and accountability, he likes a laugh too, and has never forgotten where he comes from.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eStill Suitable for Miners\u003c\/i\u003e is the official Billy Bragg story, tracing his life, family and career at close range from Barking to the present day. This 20th anniversary edition has been updated to include the rise of Corbyn, the unfolding of Brexit, Billy’s reclamation of skiffle and his overtures into Americana.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56297263956341,"sku":"9780753552711","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780753552711_9d8bb238-56d8-4892-858c-9396080a287d.jpg?v=1786016227"},{"product_id":"9781591431428","title":"Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods","description":"Built at the end of the last ice age, the mysterious stone temple complex of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey is one of the greatest challenges to 21st century archaeology. As much as 7,000 years older than the Great Pyramid and Stonehenge, its strange buildings and rings of T-shaped monoliths--built with stones weighing from 10 to 15 tons--show a level of sophistication and artistic achievement unmatched until the rise of the great civilizations of the ancient world, Sumer, Egypt, and Babylon. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChronicling his travels to Göbekli Tepe and surrounding sites, Andrew Collins details the layout, architecture, and exquisite relief carvings of ice age animals and human forms found at this 12,000-year-old megalithic complex, now recognized as the oldest stone architecture in the world. He explores how it was built as a reaction to a global cataclysm--the Great Flood in the Bible--and explains how it served as a gateway and map to the sky-world, the place of first creation, reached via a bright star in the constellation of Cygnus. He reveals those behind its construction as the Watchers of the Book of Enoch and the Anunnaki gods of Sumerian tradition. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUnveiling Göbekli Tepe's foundational role in the rise of civilization, Collins shows how it is connected to humanity's creation in the Garden of Eden and the secrets Adam passed to his son Seth, the founder of an angelic race called the Sethites. In his search for Adam's legendary Cave of Treasures, the author discovers the Garden of Eden and the remains of the Tree of Life--in the same sacred region where Göbekli Tepe is being uncovered today.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303734686069,"sku":"9781591431428","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781591431428_60eb0613-5484-4f68-8b57-b576a27e4094.jpg?v=1786023257"},{"product_id":"9781591432999","title":"The Cygnus Key","description":"UK television personality Andrew Collins provides new evidence showing that the earliest origins of human culture, religion, and technology derive from the lost world of the Denisovans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Built at the end of the last ice age around 9600 BCE, Göbekli Tepe in southeast Turkey was designed to align with the constellation of the celestial swan, Cygnus--a fact confirmed by the discovery at the site of a tiny bone plaque carved with the three key stars of Cygnus. Remarkably, the three main pyramids at Giza in Egypt, including the Great Pyramid, align with the same three stars. But where did this ancient veneration of Cygnus come from?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Showing that Cygnus was once seen as a portal to the sky-world, Andrew Collins reveals how, at both sites, the attention toward this star group is linked with sound acoustics and the use of musical intervals “discovered” thousands of years later by the Greek mathematician Pythagoras. Collins traces these ideas as well as early advances in human technology and cosmology back to the Altai-Baikal region of Russian Siberia, where the cult of the swan flourished as much as 20,000 years ago. He shows how these concepts, including a complex numeric system based on long-term eclipse cycles, are derived from an extinct human population known as the Denisovans. Not only were they of exceptional size--the ancient giants of myth--but archaeological discoveries show that this previously unrecognized human population achieved an advanced level of culture, including the use of high-speed drilling techniques and the creation of musical instruments.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The author explains how the stars of Cygnus coincided with the turning point of the heavens at the moment the Denisovan legacy was handed to the first human societies in southern Siberia 45,000 years ago, catalyzing beliefs in swan ancestry and an understanding of Cygnus as the source of cosmic creation. Collins shows how the ancient belief in Cygnus as the source of creation can also be found in many other cultures around the world, further confirming the role played by the Denisovan legacy in the genesis of human civilization.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304832479605,"sku":"9781591432999","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781591432999_217fff17-a6ca-44f4-9824-38899a3f45bf.jpg?v=1787039957"},{"product_id":"9781591434788","title":"Karahan Tepe","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn in-depth investigation of the ancient structures at Karahan Tepe, its builders, and its cosmic shamanic purpose\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExamines the intricate carvings, chambers, and structures, revealing the site’s acoustical properties, shamanic symbolism, and astronomical alignments\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReveals how Karahan Tepe was used by shamans to connect with the Milky Way’s Galactic bulge in its role as the head of the cosmic serpent\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExplains how the site’s builders, who created the world’s first post–Ice Age civilization, are remembered in myth and legend as the Watchers and Nephilim of Jewish religious tradition and as the Anunnaki gods of Sumerian mythology\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConsidered the most important archaeological discovery of the 21st century, Karahan Tepe is an enormous complex of stone structures in southeastern Turkey covering an estimated ten acres. Built more than 11,000 years ago, Karahan Tepe contains some of the oldest monumental architecture anywhere on Earth, including human and animal statues, ubiquitous snake carvings, T-shaped pillars, and interconnecting underground enclosures with stone columns carved directly from the bedrock.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChronicling his explorations of Karahan Tepe, Andrew Collins presents the first in-depth investigation of the discoveries at the site: who built it, its astronomical alignments, and its cosmological connections. He examines the intricate carvings and architectural features, including a newly discovered statue of a giant human figure. Explaining how the site functioned as a shamanic oracle center, Collins shows how its rock-cut structures were used to connect with the Milky Way’s Galactic Bulge and stars of Scorpius in their role as the head and active spirit of a perceived cosmic serpent. He traces this serpent motif throughout history, identifying it with the biblical serpent of Eden, the kundalini of Vedic tradition, and the black snake of the Yezidis. He demonstrates how the belief in the existence of the Milky Way serpent among the inhabitants of Karahan Tepe went on to influence the foundation of the Gnostic Ophite mysteries suppressed by the Christian Church. He also shows how the founders of Karahan Tepe were recalled in Hebrew myth and legend as the Watchers and Nephilim and in Sumerian and Babylonian mythology as the Anunnaki.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSharing a wealth of evidence, Collins confirms that Karahan Tepe and its sister site of Göbekli Tepe belonged to the world’s first post–Ice Age civilization, which today bears the enigmatic name of Taş Tepeler.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56312638833013,"sku":"9781591434788","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781591434788_03ce1992-eb18-4ede-b99c-7c7034533b92.jpg?v=1786023284"},{"product_id":"origins-of-the-gods","title":"Origins of the Gods","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA detailed examination of the role played by shamanism and communication with higher intelligences in the development of ancient civilizations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExplores how our ancestors used shamanic rituals at sacred sites to create portals for communication with nonhuman intelligences\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShares supporting evidence from the spiritual and shamanic beliefs of more than 100 Native American tribes\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShows how the earliest forms of shamanism began at sites like Qesem Cave in Israel more than 400,000 years ago \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Göbekli Tepe in Turkey to the Egyptian pyramids, from the stone circles of Europe to the mound complexes of the Americas, Andrew Collins and Gregory L. Little show how, again and again, our ancestors built permanent sites of ceremonial activity where geomagnetic and gravitational anomalies have been recorded. They investigate how the earliest forms of animism and shamanism began at sites like the Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia and Qesem Cave in Israel more than 400,000 years ago. They explain how shamanic rituals and altered states of consciousness combine with the natural forces of the earth to create portals for contact with otherworldly realms—in other words, the gods of our ancestors were the result of an interaction between human consciousness and transdimensional intelligence. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe authors show how the spiritual and shamanic beliefs of more than 100 Native American tribes align with their theory, and they reveal how some of these shamanic transdimensional portals are still active, sharing vivid examples from Skinwalker Ranch in Utah and Bempton in northern England. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUltimately, Collins and Little show how our modern disconnection from nature and lack of a fully visible night sky makes the manifestations from these ultraterrestrial intelligences seem random. If we can restore our spiritual connections, perhaps we can once again communicate with the higher dimensional beings who triggered the advancements of our earliest ancestors.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57507723444597,"sku":"9781591434092","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781591434092.jpg?v=1787042862"},{"product_id":"denisovan-origins","title":"Denisovan Origins","description":"\u003cp\u003eReveals the profound influence of the Denisovans and their hybrid descendants upon the flowering of human civilization around the world\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTraces the migrations of the sophisticated Denisovans and their interbreeding with Neanderthals and early human populations more than 40,000 years ago\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShows how Denisovan hybrids became the elite of ancient societies, including the Adena mound-building culture\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExplores the Denisovans’ extraordinary advances, including precision-machined stone tools and jewelry, tailored clothing, and celestially-aligned architecture \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIce-age cave artists, the builders at Göbekli Tepe, and the mound-builders of North America all share a common ancestry in the Solutreans, Neanderthal-human hybrids of immense sophistication, who dominated southwest Europe before reaching North America 20,000 years ago. Yet, even before the Solutreans, the American continent was home to a powerful population of enormous stature, giants remembered in Native American legend as the Thunder People. New research shows they were hybrid descendants of an extinct human group known as the Denisovans, whose existence has now been confirmed from fossil remains found in a cave in the Altai region of Siberia. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracing the migrations of the Denisovans and their interbreeding with Neanderthals and early human populations in Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas, Andrew Collins and Greg Little explore how the new mental capabilities of the Denisovan-Neanderthal and Denisovan-human hybrids greatly accelerated the flowering of human civilization over 40,000 years ago. They show how the Denisovans displayed sophisticated advances, including precision-machined stone tools and jewelry, tailored clothing, celestially-aligned architecture, and horse domestication. Examining evidence from ancient America, the authors reveal how Denisovan hybrids became the elite of the Adena mound-building culture, explaining the giant skeletons found in Native American burial mounds. The authors also explore how the Denisovans’ descendants were the creators of a cosmological death journey and viewed the Milky Way as the Path of Souls. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRevealing the impact of the Denisovans upon every part of the world, the authors show that, without early man’s hybridization with Denisovans, Neanderthals, and other yet-to-be-discovered hominid populations, the modern world as we know it would not exist.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57536577470837,"sku":"9781591432630","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781591432630.jpg?v=1788186737"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-andrew-collins.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}