Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Great Pyramid

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Peter Thompkins, it seemed, set out to prove, in an Egyptological fashion the old truism that the truth is stranger- and more glorious- than fiction. He does so in a way unlike I have ever seen or read before. He makes it so clear that science, technology and the quest of man to understand his world and himself need not look the way it was taught to us in any schools we have attended- and in reality often isn't.

In simply documenting the history and evolution of "Pyramidology", the science of studying the qualities, possible meanings and actual purposes of the great Pyramids of Giza, Thompkins allows the unfolding of the unpredicatble- and uncontrollable- nature of both scientific discovery and cultural transformation to become fully visible to us in ways the mainstream establishment in any of the traditional fields could never allow. At one point in the survey you will see the study of the Pyramids devolve into cults; all documented evidence becomes at one time or another a metaphor for a specific culture or sub-culture's socio-political agenda or quasi-religious beliefs. At other times, a prophet of science like the English astronomer Lockyer- and his antecedents- will show up and flip the world as you know it on its head. Traditional Egyptology will at times look even more cultish than the Pyramid watchers, with the revealing of its willful ignorance of obvious scientific evidence that not just obliterates but reveals the hidden psychology behind many of their long cherished theories.

This seminal book, before you even get into the postscript section with Livio Stechini's theory of ancient mathematics, is a lesson in what it has been to be a citizen of Western culture as much as it is the most eye-opening and thorough study of both Pyramidology and the Pyramids I have ever read.

I have already read it twice, and can never seem to stop getting more and more out of it. SECRETS OF THE GREAT PYRAMID is a far-reaching, important book of history and science that reads like a novel and never stops making you say "wow".

This book takes a historical look at the actual research done on the Great Pyramid. It discusses the pyramid myths, but the primary thrust of this book is a detailed description of the mathematical elegance that is undeniable in the construction of this pyramid. Whatever you believe about it's origins, the builders of this pyramid were clearly aware of the size and shape of this planet. It also includes some intrigueing facts about the origins of the materials used to construct it, and the sarcophagus that was found inside.

Peter Tompkins book, The Secrets of the Great Pyramid should be everyone's first book to read when they reject the orthodox conclusions of the archeological community.

His manner of prose is so matter-of-fact that only the most irrational person could argue his main points. He is fair in dispelling the myths of the Egyptologists. He states their case and then explains, unpejoratively, why he disagrees.

The diagrams in the version I have are in brown-on-white coloring, not my favorite aspect of the book. I wish it included full colored plates, but then we can't have everything.

In the margins the author often diverges into fascinating side issues, many of wish are worthy of research on their own.

I highly recommend this book as a counterpoint to those who struggle to accept that the Great Pyramid was a tomb; especially since no dead bodies have been found in it.

I grew-up reading the Hard-Cover version of this book, which I have inherited from my Grandfather and treasure along-side my Masonic books. There is so much information within the covers of Tompkin's book that is helpful to all students of The Mysteries, that should be read and filed in the mind for later reference. This book is also the first source of information I ever came-across about Akhenaten, the "Rebel" ruler of Egypt. I know that the Hard-Cover edition had many, many illustrations. This book also contains Mathematical break-downs and Geometry involved with The Pyramids, including a well-illustrated explanation of "The Golden Section."

A friend of mine recommended that I read this book, so I picked up a copy from the library and sat down one night to start reading it. I then proceeded to stay up until 6 AM because it was such an interesting book that I didn't want to put it down. If it were not for the vast amounts of evidence that Tompkins provides, I would have dismissed his theory (that the pyramids were designed and built by a very advanced race who existed before the Egyptians) as a wacky conspiracy theory. I am still not completely convinced that he is correct in his theories, but I am doing more research into the subject as a result of this book. Other authors seem to agree with his conclusions (i.e. Graham Hancock, John West, Robert Bauval, etc.), and they provide further evidence, so it is not something you can simply dismiss. Even if you disagree with Tompkin's conclusions, this book will make you think. All of the exceptional properties of the pyramid which Tompkin outlines cannot all be coincidental as conventional Egyptologists claim, so at the very least Tomkins provides a rather stunning blow to contemporary Egyptology.

If you have not yet delved into the mysteries of the Pyramid, Sphinx, etc. then this is a good starting place, though I think that Graham Hancock's "The Message of the Sphinx" was easier to understand.

I have only two complaints about this book:
1. Tompkins tends to give a lot of credible facts, then throw in something which is not so credible (i.e. he claims that the shape of the Great Pyramid has special power, and that model pyramids can keep milk inside of them from going bad even if placed out in the heat). The non-credible thing is not usually part of his main argument, but it still does not help his image.
2. He is not always easy to follow, though I am sure that if I had a better knowledge of topography and geometry I would be able to follow along better. The massive appendix is the toughest part of the book to follow, as it is almost completely formulas and equations. Hancock does a much better job of explaining things in terms the average reader can understand.

Overall, this is a great book. He has some strange theories, but he also has the evidence to back them up. To the best of my knowledge, no modern Egyptologist has yet written a book refuting the position of Tompkins/Hankock/etc., and this book was published 35 years ago.

Overall grade: A-

Secrets of the Great Pyramids is the original book that first alighted my interest in ancient Egypt, Atlantis, and the mystery of who we really are. Richly illustrated with photographs, engravings, and diagrams, it still inflames my imagination about this only existing wonder of the ancient world.

The author Peter Tompkins expertly weaves enticing anecdotes about the history of the Great Pyramid. This is a book that's jam-packed with so much information, that even though I've read it numerous times, I still learn more every time I pick it up.

Tompkins describes how ancient people probed the Great Pyramid's mysteries, that Isaac Newton was fascinated with the Pyramid, how Napoleon conquered Egypt with a battle fought in sight of the Pyramid, and the stories of early explorers such as Richard Howard-Vyse, Piazzi Smyth, and William Flinders Petrie.

Do you know that mummy flesh was once a popular medical remedy in Europe? That's the kind of intriguing anecdote you'll find interspersed among the captivating stories of the early theories, exploration, and discoveries at the Pyramid.

I also love the photographs of 19th century tourists including President Ulysses S. Grant and a number of ladies in long Victorian skirts and bonnets climbing up the multi-tonned blocks that make up this monumental structure. Tompkins also connects theories about the purpose and the builders of the Pyramid with theories about other ancient ruins such as Stonehenge and observational towers in old Ireland.

Interspersed are stories and photographs of Egyptian ruins of temples, bas relief carvings, and hieroglyphics. In exploring these theories on the purpose of the Great Pyramid, he weaves enticing anecdotes with mathematical descriptions, including the mysterious phi relationship, or Golden Section.

Tompkins describes the inner chambers of the Pyramid, its puzzling passageways and speculations of their original use, including the idea that the Pyramid had once been a temple of initiation.

He also delves into recent experiments done with computers and the discovery that the shape of the pyramid dries out or mummifies dead animals. In addition, he explores theories of secret passageways and secret chambers yet undiscovered in the monolithic structures.

Tompkins even goes bravely into theories that the Great Pyramid could have been a landing pad for extraterrestrials and that it might have been used as an astrological observatory as well as an astronomical observatory.

Because Secrets of the Great Pyramid was first published in 1971, it does not contain recent experiments to determine the purpose of the air ducts in the Kings Chambers, or theories of the alignment of the three pyramids with the belt stars in the constellation Orion as described in books by Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval.

However, there is so much fascinating information in this book that the first time I read it, my imagination was so ignited that I had a dream in which I could read hieroglyphics. Read it. You'll love it.

The "recent" history (last 150 years) of the Great Pyramid is covered in great detail; studies, measurements, theories and possibilities. I learned a great deal without finding out who built it, how, or even why. The Great Pyramid is fascinating.

If you were to only read one book on the Great Pyramid this is it. Accept no immitations. Secrets of the Great Pyramid is the apex of work done by scientists and historians until the time of publication. Do not consider telling anyone you are interested in pyramids unless you have digested this book!

I am in full agreement with the other reviewers of this very fascinating book. I receive books as gifts on a regular basis and this one comes near the top of the list for reading enjoyment delivered. I have one observation to pass on to past and future readers: I have never seen reference made to the book, either favorable or unfavorable, in the many articles I've read about history and archeology of ancient Egypt. Does this imply that Mr. Tompkins' observations and speculations are outside the mainstream of "conventional wisdom" among Egyptologists? Or perhaps we have an example of the old "NIH" syndrome (Not Invented Here)? In any case, if you are considering the book - go to it. You will not regret it.

One of the better books I have read dealing with the possible origins of the great pyramid. It is ojective and candidly written, and covers the many extant theories of the pyramid's origins in good detail. Also good coverage of the probable measures used by the original architect, with measured speculation on the possible encoded meanings embodied in the various dimensions. Compelling arguments for alternative uses of the pyramid (e.g. as an astronomical observatory) during and after its construction. This book has certainly fueled my imagination to a greater extent than any other book written about the great pyramid.