In the Dark Places of Wisdom

by Peter Kingsley

A set of ancient inscriptions on marble found forty years ago in southern Italy, recording details so bewildering that scholars have kept silent about them ...

Sensational new information about a group of ancient philosophers who were so intensely practical that, two and a half thousand years ago, they shaped our existence and the world we live in ...

These are just two ingredients of this extraordinary book, which uncovers an astonishing reality right at the origins of the Western world. Written by one of the most highly-acclaimed contemporary historians and experts in the field, it provides dramatic new evidence about the most important of ancient philosophers, Parmenides -- and revolutionizes our understanding of the history of religion, of the origins of philosophy, and of Western culture as a whole.

$12.95 - 272 pages - ISBN 1-890350-01-X - Quality Paperback
Contains Map, Illustrations, Bibliography & Full References
Price in the UK: £9.95 plus £2 p&p
Price in Germany and Switzerland: SFR 25.-- / EUR 13.--; Bestell-Nr. PB 01

"To absorb what this book says is to encounter a completely new vision of the ancient world that lies at the root of our own civilization. Right there, at our own feet, lies a forgotten tradition that has the power to transform all our views about our culture and our life."
- Jacob Needleman, author The Heart of Philosophy and Time & the Soul, and Professor of Philosophy at San Francisco State University

"Quite simply a masterpiece: a work of immaculate, luminous scholarship which recovers for Western civilization the treasures of wisdom discarded by Plato over 2000 years ago. No-one could fail to respond to this story or be moved by the poetic prose which takes us ’as far as longing can reach’ and opens a door into depths which have never been recognized, let alone explored by our culture.

I could not put the book down, nor can words express my gratitude to the author."
- Ann Baring, co-author The Myth of the Goddess,The Mystic Vision, and The Divine Feminine

"This is a very important book, carefully argued and convincingly framed. It at last brings the past to life and true relevance again - a pioneering work in recovering the origins of our humanity and uncovering the source from which each of us springs."
- David Appelbaum, editor of Parabola and Professor of Philosophy at SUNY at New Paltz

"It is impossible for me to express the brilliance and importance of this book. It is as simple as it is brilliant; as poetic as it is direct and to the point; and at the same time better informed than any other work on the subject.

"Too many writers today are content merely to collect facts. They call this knowledge. Professor Kingsley has the courage to go much further and find their meaning: it is here that we can find wisdom. What he tells us is true. It is time we all realized the immense wisdom to which we all are heirs."
- Michael Baigent, co-author The Holy Blood & the Holy Grail, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception, The Elixir & the Stone

"This book is compelling, fascinating, hard to put down. Told in a direct, lucid style the story reads like an intriguing detective novel. Each page reveals new depths of thought - revelations that can serve us today if we are to survive the contemporary illusions of reality that are poisoning our souls."
- Rudolfo Anaya, Professor Emeritus at University of New Mexico and author of Jalamanta and Bless Me, Ultima

"In the Dark Places of Wisdom is a magnificent book. I don't think I have ever read a book that combines scholarly brilliance with spiritual insight - especially this piercing sort of insight that speaks directly from experience and that aims at eliciting similar experience in the reader."
- John Bussanich, Professor of Philosophy at University of New Mexico

"Peter Kingsley is a master excavator of lost and hidden meanings. This book digs deep beneath the centuries-old rubble of conventional scholarship to uncover priceless gems of Greek and Roman history, myth, poetry, and philosophy. He accomplishes nothing less than giving us a new pair of eyes by which to see the true philosophical and spiritual depth of the ancient world upon which our own civilization is built. In the beautiful and penetrating language of an accomplished storyteller, he shows the absolute relevance of history and wisdom to our own present life."
- Georg Feuerstein, PH.D., author of The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga and Lucid Waking

Table of Contents and Chapter One Excerpt | Dr. Kingsley's Biography | two articles by Dr. Kingsley