W. Raymond Drake
Encyclopedia
W. Raymond Drake a British disciple of Charles Fort
, published nine books on the ancient astronaut theme, the first four years earlier than Erich Von Däniken
's bestseller Chariots of the Gods. Many writers on flying saucers in the mid-1950s, such as Desmond Leslie
, George Hunt Williamson
, Daniel Fry
and Morris K. Jessup
also developed ancient astronaut themes, including "proofs" that many ancient civilizations were colonies of extraterrestrials who eventually lost their technological secrets and became indistinguishable from humans, and/or that many other ancient civilizations were the result of human contact with aliens.
Drake spent many years digging through huge archives of material, looking in his case for supposed anomalies that could support his scenarios of space aliens impacting human history. As Drake himself said, "I aspired to collect as many facts as possible from ancient literature to chronicle for the past what Charles Fort has so brilliantly done for the present century."
A slightly earlier British author somewhat comparable to Drake was Harold T. Wilkins
.
Paperback editions of the first few of Drake's books were available in the US during the 1970s and became modest best-sellers in that format, often being displayed on news-stands next to the works of von Däniken.
Charles Fort
Charles Hoy Fort was an American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena. Today, the terms Fortean and Forteana are used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold well and are still in print today.-Biography:Charles Hoy Fort was born in 1874 in Albany, New York, of Dutch...
, published nine books on the ancient astronaut theme, the first four years earlier than Erich Von Däniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
's bestseller Chariots of the Gods. Many writers on flying saucers in the mid-1950s, such as Desmond Leslie
Desmond Leslie
Desmond Arthur Peter Leslie was a British pilot, film maker, writer, and musician, of English, Irish and Scottish descent...
, George Hunt Williamson
George Hunt Williamson
George Hunt Williamson , aka Michael d'Obrenovic and Brother Philip,was one of the "four guys named George" among the mid-1950s contactees...
, Daniel Fry
Daniel Fry
Daniel William Fry was an American contactee who claimed he had multiple contacts with an alien and took a ride in a remotely piloted alien spacecraft on July 4, 1949....
and Morris K. Jessup
Morris K. Jessup
Morris Ketchum Jessup , had a Master of Science Degree in astronomy and, though employed for most of his life as an automobile-parts salesman and a photographer, is probably best remembered for his pioneering ufological writings and his role in "uncovering" the so-called "Philadelphia...
also developed ancient astronaut themes, including "proofs" that many ancient civilizations were colonies of extraterrestrials who eventually lost their technological secrets and became indistinguishable from humans, and/or that many other ancient civilizations were the result of human contact with aliens.
Drake spent many years digging through huge archives of material, looking in his case for supposed anomalies that could support his scenarios of space aliens impacting human history. As Drake himself said, "I aspired to collect as many facts as possible from ancient literature to chronicle for the past what Charles Fort has so brilliantly done for the present century."
A slightly earlier British author somewhat comparable to Drake was Harold T. Wilkins
Harold T. Wilkins
-Biography:Educated at Cambridge University in journalism, Wilkins regularly reported on the early television experiments of John L. Baird, during the years 1926—1932....
.
Paperback editions of the first few of Drake's books were available in the US during the 1970s and became modest best-sellers in that format, often being displayed on news-stands next to the works of von Däniken.
Books published
- Gods or Spacemen? (1964) ISBN 0451071921
- Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient East (1968)
- Mystery of the gods-- are they coming back to earth? (1972)
- The Ancient Secrets of Mysterious America-is Our Destiny Upon Us? (1973)
- Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient West (1974) ISBN 0451060555
- Gods and Spacemen in the Ancient Past (1975) ISBN 0451061403
- Gods and Spacemen Throughout History (1975) ISBN 0854353321
- Gods and Spacemen in Greece and Rome (1976) ISBN 0451076206
- Gods and Spacemen in Ancient Israel (1976) ISBN 0722130341
- Messengers from the Stars (1977)
- Cosmic Continents (1986)