Editorial

It is probably fair to say that without Erich von Däniken, Fortean Times would not have found the receptive audience it did when launching in 1973. While UFOs, earth mysteries and the like were thrivi

W hen Erich von Däniken died in Interlaken, Switzerland, at the age of 90 on 10 January, I was offline for the weekend. My parents had come to visit their grandson after a major snowstorm had delayed

Chariots of the Gods (see pp28-35) came out when I was a young teenager, and like many others I was impressed by Erich von Däniken’s bestseller. It popularised the idea of ancient aliens for a mass au

In this issue of FT we present a profile of one of Britain’s odder literary greats: John Cowper Powys. Powys was a strange man and a strange writer, producing utterly singular, doorstop-sized novels o

David Farrier Nature’s Genius Evolution’s lessons for a changing planet 288pp. Canongate. £20. In David Farrier’s latest book, he warns us that humanity is endangering every facet of life on Earth thr

An archæological mystery, first noticed accidentally due to aerial photography in 1933, is etched across the hillside of Monte Sierpe (Serpent Mountain) in the Pisco Valley in southern Peru. It takes