We get to share in his personal discoveries through the humour and good fellowship of the road, full of entertaining misadventures. But there is never any doubt that there is an ultimate purpose to these journeys: a passionate need to bear witness to the truth about the past, after centuries of persecution by an alien ruling class. So through the dense clouds of historical tragedy, Wright exchavates hope that a revival of pride and dignity in Andean culture is possible.

The Maya of Central America created one of the most dazzling civilizations on this earth, which is often compared to Ancient Greece. The Maya had a delight in creation, expressed in art, architecture, pottery, astronomy, mathematics and mythology, all combined with a deep, metaphysical fascination with time. This civilization seems to have collapsed in the ninth century, some five hundred years before the Spanish conquest of America. Ronald Wright travelled through the old territories of the Maya (the jungles and mountains of Guatemala, Belize and Mexico) to explore the ancient roots of their culture and to map out what has survived. Despite civil wars and centuries of oppression by first an Hispanic, then Mestizo culture, he discovers a region where seven million people still speak Mayan languages and struggle to maintain their resilient, indigenous culture. It is at once a riveting journey, written with wit and wisdom, but also a study of a civilization. It is travel writing at its broadest and its best.

Now more relevant than ever, Ronald Wright's #1 national bestseller, A Short History of Progress. The fifteenth anniversary edition includes a new introduction warning of the accelerating patterns of progress and disaster. Each time history repeats itself, so it's said, the price goes up. The twentieth century was a time of runaway growth in human population, consumption, and technology, placing a colossal load on all natural systems, especially earth, air, and water -- the very elements of life. The most urgent questions of the twenty-first century are: Where will this growth lead? Can it be consolidated or sustained? And what kind of world is our present bequeathing to our future? In his #1 national bestseller A Short History of Progress Ronald Wright argues that our modern predicament is as old as civilization, a 10,000-year experiment we have participated in but seldom controlled. Only by understanding the patterns of triumph and disaster that humanity has repeated around the world since the Stone Age can we recognize the experiment's inherent dangers, and, with luck and wisdom, shape its outcome. In his new introduction to the fifteenth anniversary edition, Wright looks at the past fifteen years of human innovation -- and asks whether we can still get the future right.

In little more than a century, Fiji islanders have made the transition from cannibalism to Christianity, from colony to flourishing self-government, without losing their own culture. As Ronald Wright observes, societies that do not eat people are fascinated by those that did, and often used this fact as an excuse to conquer, kill and enslave. Touring cities bustling with Indian merchants, quiet Fijian villages and taking part in communal ceremonies, he attributes the remarkable independence of Fiji to the fact that the indigenous social structure remains intact and eighty-three per cent of the land remains in local hands. Wright tells their story with wit and evident pleasure.

Palaeolithic hunters who learnt how to kill two mammoths instead of one had made progress. Those who learnt how to kill 200 by driving a whole herd over a cliff had made too much. Many of the great ruins that grace the deserts and jungles of the earth are monuments to progress traps, the headstones of civilisations which fell victim to their own success. The twentieth-centurys runaway growth has placed a murderous burden on the planet. A Short History of Progress argues that this modern predicament is as old as civilisation. Only by understanding the patterns of progress and disaster that humanity has repeated since the Stone Age can we recognise the inherent dangers, and, with luck, and wisdom, shape its outcome.

Oh to live life like Ronald Wright

Spiritualist writer, gay magazine illustrator, celebrity portrait artist, artist's model and psychic medium, Ronald Wright's life has been filled with strange encounters and extraordinary experiences. Seduced by the sparkle of cinema's entertainers the young Ronald Wright was drawn to London's West End in the early 1950s. With youthful determination Wright found ways to meet the stars he idolized, and more importantly stumbled upon the secret World of London's homosexual scene. First gaining a reputation drawing the likeness of 'Theatreland' stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and Vivien Leigh, Wright eventually turned his graphic skills to the burgeoning 'Physique' and 'Men's Interest' magazine industry. Wright's artwork featured in many of the internationally renowned publications including Fizeek, Adonis, Sir Gay, Male Classics, Modern Man and Body Beautiful. Imprisoned for being gay in 1959, he was released a year later and began a successful career as artist model, most notable posing as 'the body' of Rudolf Nureyev for a Madam Tussaud's waxwork.

Priapically blessed, Wright himself became entertainer, model and muse, performing at private parties and clubs throughout the 1960s. The 1970s and 8Os saw Wright's interest in the spiritual world taking centre stage. After a visitation from 'The Spirit of Light' during a seance in Belgrave Square, he became a man with a mission to channel, write and distribute the message of Hafed Prince of Persia, leader of the legendary 'Three Magi' of biblical fame. He also became a well known healer.

These are Ronald Wright's memoirs, illustrated with more than 30 pages of original photographs and artwork, telling the story a very unconventional life, which may shock many even in today's more enlightened times.

For more information, news and details of other publications visit Ronald Wright's website

There is a new movement growing within the Body of Christ today. Those who are the leaders of this movement call themselves "The Emerging Church" and it is growing at a tremendous pace. These leaders believe that when a dramatic change in culture takes place within a society, a new church will emerge from the old in order to meet the needs of that new culture. This book is designed to help members of traditional churches understand the different aspects of the movement and provide some guidance on how to respond to what they are presenting.