BIOGRAPHY
1948 - 2013
Born in Nelson, New Zealand, 1948. Initially worked as a commercial photographer; travelled extensively in Australia, Asia, India and South America. Lived and worked as a photographer in Spain, 1976; the same year moved to England. Married 1982: two daughters, one step-daughter and one step-son.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Academic Qualifications:
1972, graduated BA, Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
1972, trained as a teacher, Epsom Training College, Auckland, New Zealand. Left shortly before graduating.
2000, graduated MA in Mysticism and Religious Experience, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Kent, England.
Dissertation (1999): A Renaissance Symbol. The Meaning of the Triangle containing the Hebrew Name of God.
Professional Occupations:
Worked as a photojournalist, a magazine editor in Australia, then as a commercial photographer in New Zealand (Auckland) and later in Spain (Madrid) until 1976. In England, worked briefly for the BBC in the Photographic Department and then as London photographer for the Bahrain based Arabic language magazine, Osrati.
From 1977-1979 researched, with Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh, a documentary film transmitted in the BBC `Chronicle’ series, 1979, entitled The Shadow of the Templars.#
First book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, published in 1982 by Jonathan Cape.
From 1982 – 2009, researching and writing thirteen non-fiction books and one novel which was published in Germany.
During this same period appeared in many television documentaries made by NBC, ABC, ITV, BBC, NZTV, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel, and others.
Has appeared on many radio stations and television programmes including Merv Griffin, Barbara Walters, Bill O’Reilly, The Today Show, Good Morning America.
From 1989-1992, co-organiser of annual State University of California, Long Beach, archaeological excavations and surveys at the ruins of Qumran and the western Dead Sea littoral.
From 1998 - 2005, lecturer and latterly, tour leader, for tours of the temples, pyramids and tombs of Egypt.
2001: Appointed editor of the quarterly illustrated magazine, Freemasonry Today. Regularly contributed articles.
2008: Freemasonry Today made the official journal of the United Grand Lodge of England.
2011: Resigned as editor of Freemasonry Today.
Publication List:
One or more editions of these books are published in the following 35 languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Slovakian, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Albanian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified Mainland Chinese and Taiwanese), Indonesian.
1982: The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. (Jonathan Cape) With Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln. Appeared on Best Seller lists UK and USA.
1983: Introduction to a facsimile edition of Placidus de Titis, Primum Mobile.
1984: Mundane Astrology. (Thorsons) With Nicholas Campion and Charles Harvey.
1986: The Messianic Legacy. (Jonathan Cape) With Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln. Appeared on Best Seller lists UK and USA.
1989: The Temple and the Lodge. (Jonathan Cape) With Richard Leigh. Appeared on Best Seller lists UK and USA.
1991: The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception. (Jonathan Cape) With Richard Leigh. Appeared on Best Seller lists UK and USA. Remained at No. 1 in Germany for 15 months.
1992: Mundane Astrology, Second Edition (HarperCollins) With Nicholas Campion and Charles Harvey.
1993: "The Painting of the `Judgment of Solomon' at Culross `Palace', Fife", Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. 106, 1993, pp.154-171.
1994: Secret Germany. (Jonathan Cape) With Richard Leigh.
1994: From the Omens of Babylon, (Penguin Books)
1995: Forward to In Search of the Holy Grail and the Precious Blood, by Ean and Deike Begg. (HarperCollins)
1995: "Dr. Robert Plot and his `Trade Mystery', Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. 107, 1995, pp.233-235.
1995: Das Geheimnis der Templer. (Knaur Verlag, Munich). Novel.
1997: "Freemasonry, Hermetic Thought and the Royal Society of London", Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol. 109, 1996, pp.154-164.
1997: The Elixir and the Stone: The tradition of Magic and Alchemy. (Viking Penguin) With Richard Leigh.
1997: "Sir Christopher Wren and Freemasonry: New Evidence", Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, vol.109, 1996, pp.188-190. With Bernard Williamson.
1998: Ancient Traces, (Viking Penguin).
1999: The Inquisition, (Viking Penguin). With Richard Leigh.
2000: “A ground-penetrating radar survey testing the claim for earthquake damage of the Second Temple ruins at Khirbet Qumran”, The Qumran Chronicle, vol. 9, 2000, pp.131-137. With Professor Robert Eisenman.
2001: Spiegelbild der Sterne. Das Universum jenseits der sichtbaren Welt, (Droemer, Munich).
2005: Forward to York Mysteries Revealed,by Neville Barker Cryer (Lewis Masonic).
2006: The Jesus Papers (Harper Collins, New York). Appeared on the New York Times Best-Seller list; also a best-Seller in Canada, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
2009: Racing Towards Armageddon (HarperOne, San Francisco).