Customer Reviews

Atlantis: Insights from a Lost Civilization

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is the first book I've read on the subject of Atlantis, and I found it quite interesting indeed!

Because I am not sure about my thoughts re: aliens being behind the amazing achievments attributed to this "lost civilization", I was happy to find that the author does not dwell on this possibility (although it's clear that she does believe in the theory of aliens bringing their technological info. to several areas during the time of Atlantis). Instead, the idea of aliens is brought up only briefly, and then scattered here & there throughout the book - but not in an overbearing sort of way.

I read this book at the same time as "Finger-Prints of the Gods", by Graham Hancock (In fact, I am still finishing up reading "Fingerprints"), and I found that these books tend to complement eachother. The one main difference being that Graham Hancock takes the reader on a journey with him to places where there is still evidence that such amazingly brilliant cultures existed in our far-reaching past. Also, I have not yet come across any mention of aliens in his book (although I haven't completed it yet).

I would recommend this book, as well as "Fingerprints of the Gods", to anyone interested in this subject. Both of these books have a lot to offer and, in the end, will make the reader think about the various possibilities, and come up with their own theories. In my view, this is what a good book does - encourages the reader to really think about things both as they were, and as they currently are. And both of these books "fit the bill".

First of all, let me state this was a wonderful, insightful, and very easy book to read. Amen! Shirley Andrews has done a really excellent job of stating her hypothesis of Atlantis, then proceeded to lay out anthropological findings to support her views. The book read like a light history book of man and his evolution (and de-evolution) on a planet called Earth. Ms. Andrews painstaking research is explained and laid out for our analysis in a pleasingly down to earth format. I got through this book faster than most others.

The four maps detailing how the land masses appeared at 50K bc, 25K bc, 10K bc and currently really set the stage for easy comprehension of the facts she was about to lay on us. The analogy of Noah's flood ending the third world and bringing about this, the fourth world was very thought provoking. The comparison of how the Atlantians survived and escaped two previous disasters and how their influence, society, and technology lived on and has become apparent in other prehistoric cultures is just amazing. To me now, its not a matter of "did Atlantis exist?", its a matter of how we, as contemporary man, can learn from the positives and negatives of our human ancestors. Its maybe a gauge as to how our evolution can handle these precedences.

... If you have EVER been captivated in any way by the myth of "the lost continent of Atlantis", here is your chance to satisfy your curiosity! Indeed, after reading this book, you will come to realize what most scholars of classical antiquity take as second nature: It is a VERY gray area between where ancient mythology ENDS and where ancient history BEGINS. Reading this book brings the 'myth' of Atlantis ever so much closer to us out of the mythology of the FAR past and up into the ancient history of the more RECENT past. It is the wonderful work and lifelong dedication of Shirley Andrews that has accomplished this for us. This book IS, truly, "a labor of love".

... As some of you read this book, you may begin by thinking to yourself: "WELL... this is going to be a FUN read, but I SERIOUSLY doubt that I am going to end up BELIEVING in the reality of any 'lost continent of Atlantis'!" ... However, when you are THROUGH reading the book (and you WILL finish reading the WHOLE thing!), you will definitely find yourself wanting to not only read MORE about Atlantis, but also wanting to go on any number of excursions to MANY of the places where Ms. Andrews herself has gone to in order to personally do her firsthand, primary research for this wonderful book.

... I, myself, am very tempted to take a trip to the Canary Islands in order to see for MYSELF all of the evidence that the author has most generously shared with us all. ... At one time in my life, I, too, merely thought of Atlantis as being that great, mythical place that the folk singer, Donovan, sang of with such eloquence and respect - a song that still, to this day, always makes the hairs stand up all over my body whenever I hear it playing! After reading this book, the 'myth' of Atlantis has become a REALITY for me. ... See if it does the same for you. - The Aeolian Kid

If you have ever been captivated in any way by the myth of"the lost continent of Atlantis," here is your chance tosatisfy your curiosity. Indeed, after reading this book, you will come to realize what most scholars of classical antiquity take as second nature: it is a very gray area between where ancient mythology ends and ancient history begins. Reading this book brings the "myth" of Atlantis ever so much closer to us out of the mythology of the far past up into the ancient history of the near past. It is the wonderful work and lifelong dedication of Shirley Andrews that has done this for us. This book is, truly, "a labor of love."

As some of you read this book, you may begin by thinking to yourself, "Well, this is going to be a fun read, but I seriously doubt that I am going to end up believing in the reality of any lost continent of Atlantis!" When you are through reading the book (and you WILL finish reading the whole thing!), you will find yourself wanting to not only read more about Atlantis, but wanting to go on any number of excursions to many of the places where Ms. Andrews herself has gone to personally do firsthand, primary research for this book.

I, myself, am tempted to take a trip to the Canary Islands to see for myself all of the evidence that the author has generously shared with us all. ... At one time in my life, I, too, merely thought of Atlantis as that great song by Donovan that used to make the hairs stand up all over my body every time I heard it come on the radio. After reading this book, the myth of Atlantis has become a reality for me. See if it does the same for you.

A MUST READ for all who are intrigued by the legendary lost continent of Atlantis! This is a book you will enjoy reading and will want to share with your friends. Shirley Andrews has brought together an extraordinary body of supportive information to lift our thoughts beyond myth to the real possibility that Atlantis existed! This book is thoroughly researched and presents many points of view from the scientific to the metaphysical. Atlantis comes to life through the clear and skillful writing of Ms. Andrews. You will easily imagine this beautiful continent and learn of its great history, advanced culture and the high evolution of its people. You'll learn of their customs and beliefs, their entertainment, education, government, religion, aviation, medicine, energy and more. You will gain insight into the location of Atlantis, what problems befell it and what caused its ultimate demise. Even the most skeptical reader will have to reflect on this great body of exciting and convincing evidence. This is truly an exceptional book!

Atlantis. A mystical great island nation that once glorified the Atlantic Ocean. But is it really that mystical? Not at all. Where did the 'idea' of Atlantis come from in the first place? Were there people who wrote about it? Were there people who had survived the destruction of it? The answer is....yes. There were people who wrote about it, in the past, and in the present. Presently, one of the greatest authors on the island of Atlantis is Shirley Andrews. In the past, it was Plato. I have the privilage of knowing Shirley Andrews, and, in my opinion, she is the leader when it comes to knowing all about Atlantis. Atlantis - Insights To A Lost Civilization is a 5-star must read book, boasting over 170 references, 4 pages of maps, 9 pages of notes and so much more, the detail in this book is unmatched...For anyone wanting to find out just what Atlantis was really like, Atlantis Insights is an absolute 'must read' book.

This should be "Insights Into Logical Fallacies". This book is written on assumptions, backed up with other fallacious authors, and based on a guy that made philosophy for a living.

Do not buy this book unless you want to take it apart. The author isn't even an anthropologist, a geologist, or a student of culture. She's a Law professor.

Someone should tell her that the Atlantic fault is divergent, that is, pulling away from each other. It's simple geology.

Andrews presents thorough research into Atlantis that shows that the
Canary Islands may once have been a colony of Atlantis. However, as
long as Andrews, and many others, insists on a narrow interpretation
of Ignatius Donnelly's mis-reading of Plato as to the location of
Atlantis her scholarship will be open to derision by mainstream
geologists. Donnelly's reading of Plato placed Atlantis as
"opposed to the Pillars of Heracles (Straights of
Gibraltar)" rather than "across from the straits" as
related in Sir Desmond Lee's definitive translation. Thus Andrews,
unfortunately to be included with scores of others, posits Atlantis as
a sunken island in the Atlantic (geologically unsustainable), rather
than as an island-continent across the Atlantic (the Americas) whose
civilization was destroyed but whose "bare-bones" still
appear as the islands of the Caribbean. Donnelly and his followers
have failed to grasp the scope of Plato's knowledge which described
three distinct seas: The Mediterranean which Plato described as
"only a harbor, having a narrow entrance," the named sea
(the Atlantic), and that other that "is the real sea (the
Pacific)." In fact, the North Atlantic of 11,500 years ago could
not have supported a climate such as that described by Plato as lush
Atlantis. With the geological knowledge available at his time,
Donnelly can hardly be faulted for mis-placing Atlantis, but Andrews
and others should not continue to repeat this key error --
particularly in light of known oceanography.

I was very happy to see that Ms. Andrews integrates items from various areas, and gives possible explanations of how these advanced civilizations could have existed within the archealogical/evolutionary timelines that say that modern human beings appeared on this planet around 100 thousand years ago.

She writes wonderfully, and I found myself making notes to check her sources to learn more about specifics. She is also writing as a non-specialist, a person interested in these topics, so of course her approach is different.

However, facts still have to be checked against undisputable knowledge of historical facts, to avoid glaring errors. For example, (p.40) she says "In AD 711, when the moors invaded the Iberian peninsula, multitudes of Christians fled for their lives. Seven Portuguese bishops and their 5000 followers ... sailed westward to the Americas ... some landed in Florida and founded the city of Calo." This cannot be true because (1) Portugal itself DID NOT appear in history until after about 1100 AD -- the Visigothic kingdom conquered in AD 711 by the Arabs/berbers consisted of a Germanic (Gothic) elite ruling over a romanized population speaking dialects of latin (whihc LATER became separate languages). (2) Studies of Spain and other areas conquered by the first Islamic Caliphate demonstrate that an overwhelming majority of the population chose to stay and accept the new regime -- indeed, in Spain, many former German-Gothic families converted to Islam in order to remain as members of the elite. (3) There is no archaelogical record for an ancinet city ever in Florida.

I do not take away the thought-provoking statements in the book -- it will surely "push the edge of the envelope" and stimulate more (needed) controversy and research. But, whenever there IS a strong historical record, this should be thoroughly checked out. However, I have not let these types of errors take away from my enjoyment of the book.

This book is a product of Ms. Andrews vivid imagination.She attempts to project Atlantis as a veritable utopia. She is more concerned with her "past life experience" on Atlantis than backing up her account with actual facts. Here are a few choice excerpts: "So try to picture yourself in Atlantis 20,000 years ago.....Perhaps, as a man or a woman, your long hair is held in place with ivory hairpins and you adorn yourself with radiant crystals to amplify your higher consciousness."

"...they were aware of the link between themselves and a greater spiritual being and focused their activities on worshipping and preserving the beautiful natural enviroment that supported them." "As they stood tall and straight,their beautiful appearance reflected inner strength and beauty." Although I commend Ms. Andrews for writing a book on Atlantis and trying to broaden knowledge on the subject, I find her lack of facts and relying on too many accounts of questionable psychics as tragically misguided.