July 2022
It's been a long time in preparation, but this month my book is released.
The Map in the Manuscript: Journeys in the Mysteries of the Two Rennes is being published by Ignotum Press, of Manchester UK.
This book is the culmination of decades of research in the Affair of Rennes-le-Château. It is the story of my long engagement with this nest of fascinating puzzles.
The Map in the Manuscript offers entirely new perspectives on one of the most enduring mysteries of the modern era. It is also an account of significant breakthroughs in solving some of the core riddles at the heart of the Affair.
And now, the moment approaches when I can share this with the world. It has been an incredible adventure.
This is not just another book about Rennes-le-Château, of which there have been hundreds. Most of them focus on the strange life of the priest, Saunière, how he got rich and what he did with the money.
These questions have never held any interest for me, however. In any case, they are not the real stories at the heart of the Affair. This is not a treasure hunt. Neither is it an "X-marks-the-spot" mystery, where obscure clues are decoded to find a location on a map where something breathlessly important is buried. No shovels or digging equipment will be required. Indeed, the entire direction of gaze is different. Where the treasure hunters look down, this book looks up.
So if this is not a book about buried riches, what is it about?
It's about dreams, geometry and alchemy.
It's about Delphi, and Paris, and the mountains of the Pyrenees.
It's about the conception of landscape in Ancient Greece.
It's a book about poets, poetry, maps and cartography.
More than anything, this is a book about puzzles, and the art of puzzle-solving.
Stay tuned.
