Article
17.11.06
WESTERN DAILY PRESS by Geoff Ward
IT'S
not often that a book comes along that can alter the whole
way you look at the world and your place in it.
But
The Genius of the Few, and its follow-up, The Shining Ones,
indisputably fall into that category.
The
former, first published in 1985, is a classic of its kind,
which now exchanges for large sums on the second-hand book
market, especially in America. The Shining Ones was published
in a limited edition, now sold out, by Edmund Marriage in
1999.
They
are among the most remarkable books I have ever read. Both
were printed by Christian Brann, of Dianthus Publishing at
Kemble, near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, who was deemed
by Edmund to be one of the few people capable of meeting the
exacting technical requirements of the two volumes.
First
in the series was The Megalithic Odyssey (1983), an astro-archaeological
study of Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall.
With
the tremendous increase in interest in ancient mysteries over
the past decade, Christian O'Brien, who died in 2001 at the
age of 86, was ahead of his time. It's no wonder his books
have achieved cult status. Edmund heads the Golden Age Project
under the auspices of the Patrick Foundation, a research body
created on behalf of himself and Barbara Joy, who lives in
Cambridgeshire, primarily to further Christian's research.
With
a background in farming and finance, Edmund, already with
a great interest in prehistoric Britain and its monuments,
was living in the Cotswolds, near Cirencester, in the 1980s,
when his uncle sent him a draft of his work, and the seeds
of the campaign were sown.
"I
prefer not to refer to aliens from outside this planet, rather
an advanced terrestrial civilisation which had to start again
after catastrophe here," Edmund told me.
"This
makes the most sense to me, even if they had been able to
leave and return to this planet, which seems probable. O'Brien
favoured a third alternative of inter-dimensional, or spiritual
influence, which now seems to be where science is going."
