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The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America: The Missing Skeletons and the Great Smithsonian Cover-Up
A study of the substantial evidence for a former race of giants in North America and its 150-year suppression by the Smithsonian Institution
• Shows how thousands of giant skeletons have been found, particularly in the Mississippi Valley, as well as the ruins of the giants’ cities
• Explores 400 years of giant finds, including newspaper articles, first person accounts, state historical records, and illustrated field reports
• Reveals the Stonehenge-era megalithic burial complex on Catalina Island with over 4,000 giant skeletons, including kings more than 9 feet tall
• Includes more than 100 rare photographs and illustrations of the lost evidence
Drawing on 400 years of newspaper articles and photos, first person accounts, state historical records, and illustrated field reports, Richard J. Dewhurst reveals not only that North America was once ruled by an advanced race of giants but also that the Smithsonian has been actively suppressing the physical evidence for nearly 150 years. He shows how thousands of giant skeletons have been unearthed at Mound Builder sites across the continent, only to disappear from the historical record. He examines other concealed giant discoveries, such as the giant mummies found in Spirit Cave, Nevada, wrapped in fine textiles and dating to 8000 BCE; the hundreds of red-haired bog mummies found at sinkhole “cenotes” on the west coast of Florida and dating to 7500 BCE; and the ruins of the giants’ cities with populations in excess of 100,000 in Arizona, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Louisiana.
Dewhurst shows how this suppression began shortly after the Civil War and transformed into an outright cover-up in 1879 when Major John Wesley Powell was appointed Smithsonian director, launching a strict pro-evolution, pro-Manifest Destiny agenda. He also reveals the 1920s’ discovery on Catalina Island of a megalithic burial complex with 6,000 years of continuous burials and over 4,000 skeletons, including a succession of kings and queens, some more than 9 feet tall--the evidence for which is hidden in the restricted-access evidence rooms at the Smithsonian.
• Shows how thousands of giant skeletons have been found, particularly in the Mississippi Valley, as well as the ruins of the giants’ cities
• Explores 400 years of giant finds, including newspaper articles, first person accounts, state historical records, and illustrated field reports
• Reveals the Stonehenge-era megalithic burial complex on Catalina Island with over 4,000 giant skeletons, including kings more than 9 feet tall
• Includes more than 100 rare photographs and illustrations of the lost evidence
Drawing on 400 years of newspaper articles and photos, first person accounts, state historical records, and illustrated field reports, Richard J. Dewhurst reveals not only that North America was once ruled by an advanced race of giants but also that the Smithsonian has been actively suppressing the physical evidence for nearly 150 years. He shows how thousands of giant skeletons have been unearthed at Mound Builder sites across the continent, only to disappear from the historical record. He examines other concealed giant discoveries, such as the giant mummies found in Spirit Cave, Nevada, wrapped in fine textiles and dating to 8000 BCE; the hundreds of red-haired bog mummies found at sinkhole “cenotes” on the west coast of Florida and dating to 7500 BCE; and the ruins of the giants’ cities with populations in excess of 100,000 in Arizona, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Louisiana.
Dewhurst shows how this suppression began shortly after the Civil War and transformed into an outright cover-up in 1879 when Major John Wesley Powell was appointed Smithsonian director, launching a strict pro-evolution, pro-Manifest Destiny agenda. He also reveals the 1920s’ discovery on Catalina Island of a megalithic burial complex with 6,000 years of continuous burials and over 4,000 skeletons, including a succession of kings and queens, some more than 9 feet tall--the evidence for which is hidden in the restricted-access evidence rooms at the Smithsonian.
368 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
November 22, 2021
I felt this book, for me, was a waste of time.
Imagine, if you will, you have a child of yours doing their first research paper on -- let's say, Abraham Lincoln. You give them some tips on resources and on writing, etc, and off they go. Some time later, they show it to you -- and it's a collection of print outs of news articles and encyclopedia references on Lincoln --- none of their own writing on Lincoln --- and they tell you, "Here it is --- here's my paper on Lincoln." What would you think? What would his/her teacher think?
That's what this book amounts to. Most of it --- almost all of it --- is reprints of newspaper articles --- some from over a century or more ago --- about archaeological finds in North America that the author presumes support his various claims or implications that giants and/or Caucasians, Egyptians / Middle Eastern Semites; and/or Hindu descendants (?) (kind of confused on that one -- he doesn't really explain well where he was going in that segment).
No effort is made to show to the reader whether or not the sources are credible. Most are from newspapers and periodicals no longer in existence that I've never heard of. Many are from the Golden Age of Yellow Journalism --- so, while they could be credible, they could also have outlandish claims --- such as of giants skeletons being found --- for purposes of selling their mullet wrap to the gullible. Because he makes no effort to give the reader context on these articles or to show additional sources -- - such as opinion of subject matter experts, it's difficult to know which is which.
He offers little in the way of photographic evidence to support his claims. Some of his photos are ones of grave digs in other parts of the world.
He implies the Smithsonian Institute is involved in an effort to cover up evidence of giants being in Pre-Columbian North America. While my predisposition to believe the mendacity of Government bureaucrats and their "experts" is greater than most, you still have to show me the evidence, not just snide remarks or conspiracy speculations. The author provides nothing --- which is a pretty big flaw when the cover of your book is headlined with "the Great Smithsonian Cover-Up".
If there is anything from what little I did gain from reading this, this book does have some news articles that do seem, at least interesting, in that those did seem to have some finds where the human remains may have had Caucasian characteristics. I don't find that necessarily remarkable, nor undermining the predominant theory that today's American Indians came from Asiatic groups migrating from Siberia via Alaska to the rest of the New World. Couldn't it also be possible at the same time, that migration of other peoples similar to the Sami (aka Lapps) , in very limited numbers, occurred the other way from what is now Scandinavia and Northwestern Russia via the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, and from there to North America? At any rate, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) prevented research of these sites, presuming with little evidence that a tribe in its present location of the site was present in the same location centuries or even millenia ago--- when we know that many tribes over that same time migrated from one side of the continent to the other. It did raise some question in my mind as to whether this law may be inadvertently erasing in perpetuity any possibility of ever learning the real history of Pre-Columbian America --- which may well be more complex and different than what the prevailing anthropological theories about it suggest.
At any rate, none of that erases my low opinion of this book. Poorly written, unsupported claims and implications --- and most grievously from my perspective of someone with limited time for reading --- boring.
Imagine, if you will, you have a child of yours doing their first research paper on -- let's say, Abraham Lincoln. You give them some tips on resources and on writing, etc, and off they go. Some time later, they show it to you -- and it's a collection of print outs of news articles and encyclopedia references on Lincoln --- none of their own writing on Lincoln --- and they tell you, "Here it is --- here's my paper on Lincoln." What would you think? What would his/her teacher think?
That's what this book amounts to. Most of it --- almost all of it --- is reprints of newspaper articles --- some from over a century or more ago --- about archaeological finds in North America that the author presumes support his various claims or implications that giants and/or Caucasians, Egyptians / Middle Eastern Semites; and/or Hindu descendants (?) (kind of confused on that one -- he doesn't really explain well where he was going in that segment).
No effort is made to show to the reader whether or not the sources are credible. Most are from newspapers and periodicals no longer in existence that I've never heard of. Many are from the Golden Age of Yellow Journalism --- so, while they could be credible, they could also have outlandish claims --- such as of giants skeletons being found --- for purposes of selling their mullet wrap to the gullible. Because he makes no effort to give the reader context on these articles or to show additional sources -- - such as opinion of subject matter experts, it's difficult to know which is which.
He offers little in the way of photographic evidence to support his claims. Some of his photos are ones of grave digs in other parts of the world.
He implies the Smithsonian Institute is involved in an effort to cover up evidence of giants being in Pre-Columbian North America. While my predisposition to believe the mendacity of Government bureaucrats and their "experts" is greater than most, you still have to show me the evidence, not just snide remarks or conspiracy speculations. The author provides nothing --- which is a pretty big flaw when the cover of your book is headlined with "the Great Smithsonian Cover-Up".
If there is anything from what little I did gain from reading this, this book does have some news articles that do seem, at least interesting, in that those did seem to have some finds where the human remains may have had Caucasian characteristics. I don't find that necessarily remarkable, nor undermining the predominant theory that today's American Indians came from Asiatic groups migrating from Siberia via Alaska to the rest of the New World. Couldn't it also be possible at the same time, that migration of other peoples similar to the Sami (aka Lapps) , in very limited numbers, occurred the other way from what is now Scandinavia and Northwestern Russia via the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, and from there to North America? At any rate, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) prevented research of these sites, presuming with little evidence that a tribe in its present location of the site was present in the same location centuries or even millenia ago--- when we know that many tribes over that same time migrated from one side of the continent to the other. It did raise some question in my mind as to whether this law may be inadvertently erasing in perpetuity any possibility of ever learning the real history of Pre-Columbian America --- which may well be more complex and different than what the prevailing anthropological theories about it suggest.
At any rate, none of that erases my low opinion of this book. Poorly written, unsupported claims and implications --- and most grievously from my perspective of someone with limited time for reading --- boring.
June 23, 2015
I feel like shelving this one under 'fairy tales', because there was no real science to back anything up. A whole lot of old newspaper articles do not equal peer-reviewed science. I can't even get over the ridiculousness of the author's claims. Straight conjecture and weird conjecture at that. If you're looking for some mediocre fantasy, pick this up. If you're hoping for a science-based study, avoid it like the plague.
October 29, 2014
OK. The good stuff: some of the articles--some--are interesting and there was a decent amount of information about Wisconsin mounds and copper mining, which I enjoyed since I'm from Wisconsin.
But the bad stuff--oh, man.
--Lots of proofreading needed to be done--in one really obvious example, a headline which says it was printed in 1880 goes on to reprint a story about a discovery made in 1912, which was exhibited in 1999-2000.
--Many of the articles reprinted here don't even mention giants, they mention average size or slightly above average size skeletons
--At least one photo which is a known hoax is reprinted as real
--Old articles which retell stories which the reporter heard from someone who heard it from someone else are reprinted with no comment or backup evidence (19th century newspapers were know to print hoaxes and tall tales from time to time, and in any case stories which have by the time of print passed through several people are not totally reliable)
--The section on old coins found in North America may be interesting, but they have nothing to do with prehistoric culture or giants
--The idea of redheaded mummies is brought up as proof that redheads must have lived in North America at some point, but it is well known that mummies' hair often gets a reddish tint due to reactions with air, etc.--it does not mean the people were red haired in life (and as a natural redhead myself I have to say that the belief that there were somehow entire tribes of redheads and nothing but redheads at any point in history seems a bit odd, given what a minority we are)
--The idea that Native Americans and mainstream scientists have banded together in some vast conspiracy to cover up history definitely seems a bit desperate on the part of the author
--The author claims at one point that the Smithsonian wanted to cover up the rich prehistoric cultures of North America in order to help justify white incursion into native territories, yet he passes no comments on articles that state over and over things about "primitive Red Indians" and the like--and in fact, seems pretty obsessed with the idea that these giants he claims have been found all over the land are white, and blond, and maybe redhaired, but definitely blue eyed.
--Most of the book is nothing but reprints of articles and excerpts from other books, and rarely is any cover-up actually discussed
--By the end, which was mainly a lengthy excerpt from a book from 1823 which went on and on about the Bible and ancient giants and how white people must have been the first people in the Americas, and how people and culture had shrunk after this mighty race died out, and how all culture and great things come from Northern Europe (inc. apparently ancient giants in the Americas) I basically lost any respect for this book, and I certainly don't see how the author in any way followed his own thesis about either giants or a mainstream scientific cover-up
I'm disappointed, as the review I read--from a place I generally trust--said that this book was good, if not a masterpiece. In other words, I was expecting a more sober approach to the legends of giants in the Americas, with more credible evidence given as to if any have actually been found (and perhaps a better definition of giant--I don't think skeletons between 6' and 7' are proof of giants). I certainly wasn't expecting a book which tried to say that there was a tribe of white, blond, blue eyed giants running about, much less one that has ties to the Bible.
Two stars for the re-prints that had actual interesting archaeological information in them (none of which, by the way, mentioned giants), but that's the only reason I'm giving this book any stars at all. Look, I'm open to the idea that mainstream science does neglect bits and pieces which don't fit neatly into their ideas. That doesn't mean that I believe that there was some master race of blond white giants running around thousands of years ago.
But the bad stuff--oh, man.
--Lots of proofreading needed to be done--in one really obvious example, a headline which says it was printed in 1880 goes on to reprint a story about a discovery made in 1912, which was exhibited in 1999-2000.
--Many of the articles reprinted here don't even mention giants, they mention average size or slightly above average size skeletons
--At least one photo which is a known hoax is reprinted as real
--Old articles which retell stories which the reporter heard from someone who heard it from someone else are reprinted with no comment or backup evidence (19th century newspapers were know to print hoaxes and tall tales from time to time, and in any case stories which have by the time of print passed through several people are not totally reliable)
--The section on old coins found in North America may be interesting, but they have nothing to do with prehistoric culture or giants
--The idea of redheaded mummies is brought up as proof that redheads must have lived in North America at some point, but it is well known that mummies' hair often gets a reddish tint due to reactions with air, etc.--it does not mean the people were red haired in life (and as a natural redhead myself I have to say that the belief that there were somehow entire tribes of redheads and nothing but redheads at any point in history seems a bit odd, given what a minority we are)
--The idea that Native Americans and mainstream scientists have banded together in some vast conspiracy to cover up history definitely seems a bit desperate on the part of the author
--The author claims at one point that the Smithsonian wanted to cover up the rich prehistoric cultures of North America in order to help justify white incursion into native territories, yet he passes no comments on articles that state over and over things about "primitive Red Indians" and the like--and in fact, seems pretty obsessed with the idea that these giants he claims have been found all over the land are white, and blond, and maybe redhaired, but definitely blue eyed.
--Most of the book is nothing but reprints of articles and excerpts from other books, and rarely is any cover-up actually discussed
--By the end, which was mainly a lengthy excerpt from a book from 1823 which went on and on about the Bible and ancient giants and how white people must have been the first people in the Americas, and how people and culture had shrunk after this mighty race died out, and how all culture and great things come from Northern Europe (inc. apparently ancient giants in the Americas) I basically lost any respect for this book, and I certainly don't see how the author in any way followed his own thesis about either giants or a mainstream scientific cover-up
I'm disappointed, as the review I read--from a place I generally trust--said that this book was good, if not a masterpiece. In other words, I was expecting a more sober approach to the legends of giants in the Americas, with more credible evidence given as to if any have actually been found (and perhaps a better definition of giant--I don't think skeletons between 6' and 7' are proof of giants). I certainly wasn't expecting a book which tried to say that there was a tribe of white, blond, blue eyed giants running about, much less one that has ties to the Bible.
Two stars for the re-prints that had actual interesting archaeological information in them (none of which, by the way, mentioned giants), but that's the only reason I'm giving this book any stars at all. Look, I'm open to the idea that mainstream science does neglect bits and pieces which don't fit neatly into their ideas. That doesn't mean that I believe that there was some master race of blond white giants running around thousands of years ago.
January 23, 2016
Excellent research!!
The author of this book has gone to great lengths to research old newspapers and journals proving one thing - that a race of giants inhabited America prior to the modern day native Indians. These giants stood 6' to 10' tall, were Caucasian, some had red hair and some had blonde. But somewhere along the line, the Smithsonian has buried the evidence of their existence. This book goes state by state from the 1700's to the early 20th century presenting articles of the day from newspapers and magazines which document the uncovering of giant skeletons. Most of which were given to the Smithsonian and were never seen again. I found the material presented here fascinating. Worth the time to read!!
The author of this book has gone to great lengths to research old newspapers and journals proving one thing - that a race of giants inhabited America prior to the modern day native Indians. These giants stood 6' to 10' tall, were Caucasian, some had red hair and some had blonde. But somewhere along the line, the Smithsonian has buried the evidence of their existence. This book goes state by state from the 1700's to the early 20th century presenting articles of the day from newspapers and magazines which document the uncovering of giant skeletons. Most of which were given to the Smithsonian and were never seen again. I found the material presented here fascinating. Worth the time to read!!
dnf
March 3, 2018DNF- First of all the title of this books is a bit misleading. Though the main subject is giants the author includes different theories and artifacts that has vanished as well. These were included to help support the idea that the Smithsonian has destroyed or hidden artifacts that could prove another version of history. I actually agree that museums have done that because even today we are still taught an approved version of history but more and more people are trying to change that.
My biggest problem in this book is the newspaper articles. The author fails to discuss them in depth which is very flawed. Many of those articles could be the result of yellow journalism or a hoax but pages after pages are filled with these articles. To me if that is all you really have as proof then you have no case. Readers will have to read these articles themselves and figure out which ones are fake or could be true and make a game out of it. It may be hard determining if the ones that may be true actually are though so there is no correct answers and you are a winner!
The second thing I think the author failed to discuss was why these skeletons are considered giants. Most of them measure to heights that is commonly found today especially among basketball players. If he had explained that the average height has changed so that at one time the tall people would of seem to be giants to those around them.
This book will appeal to people who enjoy alternative history and strange things. For me it was just to many problems.
My biggest problem in this book is the newspaper articles. The author fails to discuss them in depth which is very flawed. Many of those articles could be the result of yellow journalism or a hoax but pages after pages are filled with these articles. To me if that is all you really have as proof then you have no case. Readers will have to read these articles themselves and figure out which ones are fake or could be true and make a game out of it. It may be hard determining if the ones that may be true actually are though so there is no correct answers and you are a winner!
The second thing I think the author failed to discuss was why these skeletons are considered giants. Most of them measure to heights that is commonly found today especially among basketball players. If he had explained that the average height has changed so that at one time the tall people would of seem to be giants to those around them.
This book will appeal to people who enjoy alternative history and strange things. For me it was just to many problems.
May 17, 2024
DNF'd @ p. 12
I only made it through 12 pages of this insanity.
I only made it through 12 pages of this insanity.
August 13, 2020
This book is interesting but somewhat problematic. I am a firm believer that we know relatively little about Pre-Columbian North America. The ruins in the Southwest and the remnants of the mound builders are evidence of this. There is plenty of evidence that there may have been interactions between Native Americans and Europeans and Asians. I am not terribly worried by the fact that the book was not based on peer reviewed material. It is based on published accounts.
NAGPRA is part of the reason that thorough research on the subject cannot be done objective. Native Americans have been given reservations based on tribal identity. The current claims are based on where they were at the time they were either encountered, or defeated by the American government. There is abundant evidence that these tribes were not always in the same spot. Native Americans moved around and their borders expanded and contracted. The idea that every ancient (pre-Columbian) skeleton found in the ground belong to a particular tribe exclusively a political and emotional issue. Current books on Native American politics and the ramifications of NAGPRA should be consulted for more information on the subject. I certainly believe that Native Americans have the right to protect the graves of those belonging to their tribe, the issue of ownership of ancient bodies from a scientific standpoint is problematic when it comes to historical anthropology.
My biggest problem with the book was what it was and was not. It is a collection of old newspaper articles with very little input from the author. I commend the author for pulling these together in a single spot, but am not happy with the paucity of original writing. There is actually very little information regarding the "Smithsonian Cover-up". It is hinted at, but that is all.
NAGPRA is part of the reason that thorough research on the subject cannot be done objective. Native Americans have been given reservations based on tribal identity. The current claims are based on where they were at the time they were either encountered, or defeated by the American government. There is abundant evidence that these tribes were not always in the same spot. Native Americans moved around and their borders expanded and contracted. The idea that every ancient (pre-Columbian) skeleton found in the ground belong to a particular tribe exclusively a political and emotional issue. Current books on Native American politics and the ramifications of NAGPRA should be consulted for more information on the subject. I certainly believe that Native Americans have the right to protect the graves of those belonging to their tribe, the issue of ownership of ancient bodies from a scientific standpoint is problematic when it comes to historical anthropology.
My biggest problem with the book was what it was and was not. It is a collection of old newspaper articles with very little input from the author. I commend the author for pulling these together in a single spot, but am not happy with the paucity of original writing. There is actually very little information regarding the "Smithsonian Cover-up". It is hinted at, but that is all.
March 23, 2014
-Free review copy courtesy of Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
I have always been fascinated with the stories of the Giants that once walked the earth. The men of great renown, the Nephilim. Whether it was biblical accounts, Greek or Norse legends, the stories have always consumed me. Why was I not taught this material in school or by adults when I was young. Giants were real and the proof is everywhere. Richard does a fantastic job collecting and reporting on numerous accounts from local newspapers and articles from early America. He also demonstrates how the Smithsonian actively covered up and continues to cover up these ancient peoples. This is not a conspiracy theory, the evidence is worldwide but especially here in north America. I have studied this subject for a while and have read numerous books on the subject from other researchers such as Jim Vieira and Fritz Zimmerman and this one is incredible. I think that everyone needs to read this book!!
I have always been fascinated with the stories of the Giants that once walked the earth. The men of great renown, the Nephilim. Whether it was biblical accounts, Greek or Norse legends, the stories have always consumed me. Why was I not taught this material in school or by adults when I was young. Giants were real and the proof is everywhere. Richard does a fantastic job collecting and reporting on numerous accounts from local newspapers and articles from early America. He also demonstrates how the Smithsonian actively covered up and continues to cover up these ancient peoples. This is not a conspiracy theory, the evidence is worldwide but especially here in north America. I have studied this subject for a while and have read numerous books on the subject from other researchers such as Jim Vieira and Fritz Zimmerman and this one is incredible. I think that everyone needs to read this book!!
April 27, 2020
Wow! This book knocked my socks off! It chronicles through local newspapers the finding of ancient giant burial mounds all across the United States, and what was contained in those burial mounds. Fascinating, and a vital part of history, yet no one knows about it or is talking about it. Strange! Lots of pictures to give evidence to the story, and all the cites of the newspapers that covered the uncovering of the mounds. I would love to see this book debated and discussed.
December 9, 2014
This book was so frustrating! First, it was made up of mostly all reprinted stories from the newspaper. Second, the author made lots of wild accusations and did little to follow them up with any kind of evidence or proof of any kind, and then when he did offer proof it was incredibly weak, grasping at straws. The author could hardly connect any dots together and any kind of coherent fashion. It was especially aggravating when he would mention that the following article would have specific information that proved a certain theory and then the article said nothing of said proof or theory. third this book was supposed to be about a Smithsonian cover-up of mission skeletons, there was a surprising lack of anything about the Smithsonian at all let alone anything to cover up. When there was supposed talk of said Cover-up, it was hardly a cover-up at all!! It was mostly yes the Smithsonian came out to check this out and now they're gone. That was it! Then, not even halfway through the book and the author starts talking about things that had nothing to do with supposed giant. It was so frustrating and this author was not very good. He may have had interesting ideas but he executed them poorly!
April 19, 2017
One of the best and most comprehensive books on the ancient Mound Builders of North America. This is the book I recommend for interested people new to the subject. Broad, well written, solid sourcing, good photos, and cogent analysis, it was a pleasure to read and very informative.
A key topic I was pleased to find addressed in this book is the ancient copper mines of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which the evidence indicates was the copper source fueling the Bronze Age in Europe and the Middle East. This is an extremely important insight that is shunned by most academics and overlooked by "alternative" researchers and enthusiasts.
Dewhurst also directly addresses the Smithsonian coverup angle, which is inextricably linked to the Mound Builders story, and provides compelling evidence as to the agendas and personalities that set in motion one of the greatest archaeological travesties in modern times, which has been perpetuated to this very day.
Long suppressed, the story of Old World peoples in the Pre-Columbian new world is slowly coming to light, and Dewhurst has made an outstanding contribution to that effort.
A key topic I was pleased to find addressed in this book is the ancient copper mines of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which the evidence indicates was the copper source fueling the Bronze Age in Europe and the Middle East. This is an extremely important insight that is shunned by most academics and overlooked by "alternative" researchers and enthusiasts.
Dewhurst also directly addresses the Smithsonian coverup angle, which is inextricably linked to the Mound Builders story, and provides compelling evidence as to the agendas and personalities that set in motion one of the greatest archaeological travesties in modern times, which has been perpetuated to this very day.
Long suppressed, the story of Old World peoples in the Pre-Columbian new world is slowly coming to light, and Dewhurst has made an outstanding contribution to that effort.
May 9, 2014
This book is fascinating and irritating at the same time. The author has loads of reports about giant remains discovered in North America, but conveniently "forgets" that "America" also refers to South America. The book consists mainly of retyped newspaper reports about artifact discoveries, with very little analysis or joining of dots or synthesis or additional ideas or conjecture by the author. The book also only makes a passing mention of the whole "Great Smithsonian Cover-Up". Oh, and while I'm at it - more pictures of these finds would have been nice.
So, if you have never read anything about anomalous giants finds in North America, then this book will be interesting for you. If you want more specific details about giant finds in North America, then you might add this book to your library for completeness. However, there was nothing new or earth-shattering in this book for those who have already read up a bit on the the subject - in that case you may want to borrow this book first rather than buying it.
So, if you have never read anything about anomalous giants finds in North America, then this book will be interesting for you. If you want more specific details about giant finds in North America, then you might add this book to your library for completeness. However, there was nothing new or earth-shattering in this book for those who have already read up a bit on the the subject - in that case you may want to borrow this book first rather than buying it.
April 2, 2021
Another 'improving' book borrowed from my husband's extensive bookshelves! This is a thoroughly researched account of the hidden archaeology of the United States. It details the discoveries of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of giant skeletons long predating what we think of today as native Americans. There are also discoveries of a whole host of artefacts, such as intricate copper jewellery, which shed light on the origins and lifestyle of these mysterious giants. The book compiles detailed newspaper reports and illustrations from all around the States over a long time period. The author claims that, as in the title, the Smithsonian Museum, which contains the 'official' record of American history, went to great lengths to cover up the existence of these ancient giants. Oddly, there didn't seem to be much emphasis on this aspect – which I was interested in – in the book, whereas there was quite a bit of repetition when it came to reporting the discoveries themselves. But, overall, a very absorbing read.
Read
August 5, 2019Not giving any stars because this book is just too ludicrous and ridiculous. It's basically the author reprinting newspaper articles that mention giants and/or other items that might belong to giants. He never proves that the Smithsonian covered things up and his conclusions are so out there it's so sad. Most of what he "proves" has already been debunked in other books.
He does come off a bit prejudiced towards those not of white, European descent. And he certainly doesn't like any laws that protect Native American artifacts and burials. He also switches his dating up (BCE to BC; using 10,000 BCE when he means 10,000 years ago).
I only read this to see how much of a train wreck it was. A really, really bad one. (I do wonder if the author is Mormon because he spouts a lot of their belief system about American history and how Native Americans are descended from the "missing" tribes of Israel.)
He does come off a bit prejudiced towards those not of white, European descent. And he certainly doesn't like any laws that protect Native American artifacts and burials. He also switches his dating up (BCE to BC; using 10,000 BCE when he means 10,000 years ago).
I only read this to see how much of a train wreck it was. A really, really bad one. (I do wonder if the author is Mormon because he spouts a lot of their belief system about American history and how Native Americans are descended from the "missing" tribes of Israel.)
March 7, 2016
I really wanted to like this book as I very much enjoyed the author's erudite appearance on Earth Ancients podcast. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get further than the first chapter as the dismissal of human evolution using the hypothesis "dinosaurs turned into birds so humans must have had larger ancestors as well" was possibly even more laughable than the vast majority of creationist flim flam.
It's certainly an intriguing topic, and if the remains to which the author refers are genuine then further investigation is certainly warranted, but this collection of hearsay and hyperbole is not the most conducive way to engage those who could be of benefit.
It's certainly an intriguing topic, and if the remains to which the author refers are genuine then further investigation is certainly warranted, but this collection of hearsay and hyperbole is not the most conducive way to engage those who could be of benefit.
February 10, 2018
This is one of the most fascinating books I have read, and imagine my surprise when my hometown gets mentioned in this book several times. For anyone who is even slightly curious about the mysteries of pre-recorded history in the Americas, I HIGHLY recommend this book!
August 28, 2025
Diving into The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America feels like stumbling across a dusty archive of forgotten stories, each one whispering hints of a lost world. As someone already engaged with alternative history (such as Graham Hancock), I found Dewhurst’s book a trove of details to flesh out a narrative of 7–9-foot giants ruling North America, from ~12,000 years ago (aligning with the Younger Dryas) to a Thera-driven decline (~1500 BC). It’s not a polished argument—more like a scrapbook of old newspaper clippings—but its raw, speculative energy is exactly what I was after to build on my own competing vision of the past.
Unfortunately, the book’s structure is messy, jumping from mummies to mounds to biblical tangents, and its reliance on fringe sources like Barry Fell’s America B.C. invites skepticism. The Smithsonian cover-up angle—blaming Powell, Hrdlicka, and NAGPRA for hiding evidence like missing Cahokia skeletons or Catalina’s stored records—feels more suggestive than proven. But for someone like me, already open to rethinking history, these flaws don’t kill the excitement. Every chapter offers leads: Paiute legends, haplogroup X, unexcavated mounds. It’s not the final word, but a spark for anyone ready to challenge the Bering Land Bridge orthodoxy and imagine a bolder past.
The book’s strength is its vivid catalog of finds and myths. Cahokia’s Monks Mound, with its equinox-aligned Woodhenge, and Ohio’s Serpent Mound rival Stonehenge in ambition, suggesting cities up to at least tens of thousands. Michigan’s copper and North Carolina’s mica, traded as far as Crete or South America 10,000 years ago, paint a picture of a global network. Burial mounds brim with crowns, pearls, and horned or conehead skulls, hinting at royal giants with Scythian or Egyptian flair. Red-haired mummies from Nevada’s Spirit Cave (~7500 BC), Lovelock (~2580 BC), and Florida’s Windover Pond (~7500 BC) align with Paiute tales of cannibalistic Si-Te-Cah and Lenape stories of Talligewi giants. Catalina Island’s 3,781 blonde skeletons, including a 9’2” king (~5000 BC), and a Stonehenge-like solar temple add a megalithic punch. Then there’s the haplogroup X in Windover’s DNA, a marker shared with Europeans, sparking questions about ancient transatlantic contact versus a Bering migration. Could this be the missing link to a bigger story? Dewhurst doesn’t nail it down, but it’s fuel for speculation.
The book ties these finds to myths that resonate across cultures—Scythian burials, Atlantean origins, Hindu triune deities, and biblical lost tribes with red-haired figures like King David. The Lassen eruption (~5000 BC) and Lake Lahontan’s context ground the giants in subterranean survival, with Bergman’s Rule (greater surface area conserves heat) explaining their robust size like ice age megafauna. Roman coins and Egyptian steles suggest Old World contact, challenging the Columbian narrative. It’s a heady mix, connecting dots from Mandan “white Indians” to a 16th-century Spanish-reported sun temple.
Unfortunately, the book’s structure is messy, jumping from mummies to mounds to biblical tangents, and its reliance on fringe sources like Barry Fell’s America B.C. invites skepticism. The Smithsonian cover-up angle—blaming Powell, Hrdlicka, and NAGPRA for hiding evidence like missing Cahokia skeletons or Catalina’s stored records—feels more suggestive than proven. But for someone like me, already open to rethinking history, these flaws don’t kill the excitement. Every chapter offers leads: Paiute legends, haplogroup X, unexcavated mounds. It’s not the final word, but a spark for anyone ready to challenge the Bering Land Bridge orthodoxy and imagine a bolder past.
The book’s strength is its vivid catalog of finds and myths. Cahokia’s Monks Mound, with its equinox-aligned Woodhenge, and Ohio’s Serpent Mound rival Stonehenge in ambition, suggesting cities up to at least tens of thousands. Michigan’s copper and North Carolina’s mica, traded as far as Crete or South America 10,000 years ago, paint a picture of a global network. Burial mounds brim with crowns, pearls, and horned or conehead skulls, hinting at royal giants with Scythian or Egyptian flair. Red-haired mummies from Nevada’s Spirit Cave (~7500 BC), Lovelock (~2580 BC), and Florida’s Windover Pond (~7500 BC) align with Paiute tales of cannibalistic Si-Te-Cah and Lenape stories of Talligewi giants. Catalina Island’s 3,781 blonde skeletons, including a 9’2” king (~5000 BC), and a Stonehenge-like solar temple add a megalithic punch. Then there’s the haplogroup X in Windover’s DNA, a marker shared with Europeans, sparking questions about ancient transatlantic contact versus a Bering migration. Could this be the missing link to a bigger story? Dewhurst doesn’t nail it down, but it’s fuel for speculation.
The book ties these finds to myths that resonate across cultures—Scythian burials, Atlantean origins, Hindu triune deities, and biblical lost tribes with red-haired figures like King David. The Lassen eruption (~5000 BC) and Lake Lahontan’s context ground the giants in subterranean survival, with Bergman’s Rule (greater surface area conserves heat) explaining their robust size like ice age megafauna. Roman coins and Egyptian steles suggest Old World contact, challenging the Columbian narrative. It’s a heady mix, connecting dots from Mandan “white Indians” to a 16th-century Spanish-reported sun temple.
September 4, 2019
First - go read a good review: http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/rev...
Second - here's the grotesque sin of this book: It's boring as hell.
Dude basically just plagiarizes a bunch of old news hoaxes, and somehow manages to screw up theft on top of it.
The actual conspiracy theory(ies) this 'book' is built around, are actually interesting - in that perversely funny kind of way. . .but Dewhurst strips everything that makes conspiracies fun(ny) out in his, terrible, effort to be taken seriously. Wanna know what the Smithsonian is *really* up to? That's not actually here, just a boring kind of hate for exactly what he dismisses in the preface: The Smithsonian basically barred a host of white supremacist theories around the Reconstruction era. . .for obvious reasons. There's this whole huge Masonic/Elders of Zion conspiracy around the thing that just goes totally unspoken and I kinda feel cheated. It's fun to read illuminated lunacy (pun intended).
I sincerely doubt I know more about this nuttery than Dewhurst tho - his "I'm tall, so I want Giants to have been real!" notwithstanding, he has some creepy damn fixations, which are overtly racial. Particularly whiteness itself.
I did laugh when he all but called out the first nations as racist against the REAL indigenous people, and like, some kind of gene thieves (that they stole the bodies of people to whom they had no genetic link is how he puts it). . .it's. . .it's a glimpse at the real grotesquery that underlies this bullshit, like the edges of the Phantom's masked eye.
There really is an argument about pre-Clovis people btw. It's err. . .not this. Also, it's beyond my field of expertise - from the outside, the argument certainly looks like an excess of conservatism, in the generic sense. But no expert, me, leave that to archeologists and whatnot.
Anyway, dude's boring is me point, and the review linked above gives a quick glimpse at why and how this contains no evidence of anything.
Second - here's the grotesque sin of this book: It's boring as hell.
Dude basically just plagiarizes a bunch of old news hoaxes, and somehow manages to screw up theft on top of it.
The actual conspiracy theory(ies) this 'book' is built around, are actually interesting - in that perversely funny kind of way. . .but Dewhurst strips everything that makes conspiracies fun(ny) out in his, terrible, effort to be taken seriously. Wanna know what the Smithsonian is *really* up to? That's not actually here, just a boring kind of hate for exactly what he dismisses in the preface: The Smithsonian basically barred a host of white supremacist theories around the Reconstruction era. . .for obvious reasons. There's this whole huge Masonic/Elders of Zion conspiracy around the thing that just goes totally unspoken and I kinda feel cheated. It's fun to read illuminated lunacy (pun intended).
I sincerely doubt I know more about this nuttery than Dewhurst tho - his "I'm tall, so I want Giants to have been real!" notwithstanding, he has some creepy damn fixations, which are overtly racial. Particularly whiteness itself.
I did laugh when he all but called out the first nations as racist against the REAL indigenous people, and like, some kind of gene thieves (that they stole the bodies of people to whom they had no genetic link is how he puts it). . .it's. . .it's a glimpse at the real grotesquery that underlies this bullshit, like the edges of the Phantom's masked eye.
There really is an argument about pre-Clovis people btw. It's err. . .not this. Also, it's beyond my field of expertise - from the outside, the argument certainly looks like an excess of conservatism, in the generic sense. But no expert, me, leave that to archeologists and whatnot.
Anyway, dude's boring is me point, and the review linked above gives a quick glimpse at why and how this contains no evidence of anything.
July 3, 2022
2.5/5
This book is half done, so it gets half stars. It seems like the author spent a lot of time gathering and categorising old newspaper articles but then stopped there. So there is no analysis, no synthesis of the parts into some kind of organised whole.
I was curious why the Giants/mounds history was so suppressed and this book did help to answer that question.
For example, the continental drift theory took a long time to be accepted in particular due to one old oxbridge professor who was fiercely opposed to it. Was there something similar at work here?
Perhaps one particularly biased scholar, high up in the Smithsonian Institute?
Well there was such a guy, called Powell. And the author even digs up an essay where you can see Powell state his own beliefs.
His favoured theory was for no European origin prehistory. Also, that any prehistory was extremely primitive at best and lacking culture or civilisation.
We can only speculate around the motives and prejudices behind this. Possibly a desire to see native Americans as less than and primitive. Possibly a prejudice against Mormons, who claim European origin/civilised prehistory of America as part of their beliefs. Powell's father was a pastor who lost some of his congregation to Mormons apparently.
Apart from the Smithsonian mismanagement some other reasons American prehistory suffers
- obviously there are actual fraud finds, which seemed to have resulted in a kneejerk tendency to reject everything as a fraud. Serious academics seem like cowards who are too scared to look into these things for fear their reputation will be ridiculed.
- finds lost to private collections and sands of time, due to America being a fairly libertarian place
- laws about reburial and ownership of native American skeletons being applied to 1000s of years old skeletons which may well have no relation to the native Americans living in the same area much later
This book is half done, so it gets half stars. It seems like the author spent a lot of time gathering and categorising old newspaper articles but then stopped there. So there is no analysis, no synthesis of the parts into some kind of organised whole.
I was curious why the Giants/mounds history was so suppressed and this book did help to answer that question.
For example, the continental drift theory took a long time to be accepted in particular due to one old oxbridge professor who was fiercely opposed to it. Was there something similar at work here?
Perhaps one particularly biased scholar, high up in the Smithsonian Institute?
Well there was such a guy, called Powell. And the author even digs up an essay where you can see Powell state his own beliefs.
His favoured theory was for no European origin prehistory. Also, that any prehistory was extremely primitive at best and lacking culture or civilisation.
We can only speculate around the motives and prejudices behind this. Possibly a desire to see native Americans as less than and primitive. Possibly a prejudice against Mormons, who claim European origin/civilised prehistory of America as part of their beliefs. Powell's father was a pastor who lost some of his congregation to Mormons apparently.
Apart from the Smithsonian mismanagement some other reasons American prehistory suffers
- obviously there are actual fraud finds, which seemed to have resulted in a kneejerk tendency to reject everything as a fraud. Serious academics seem like cowards who are too scared to look into these things for fear their reputation will be ridiculed.
- finds lost to private collections and sands of time, due to America being a fairly libertarian place
- laws about reburial and ownership of native American skeletons being applied to 1000s of years old skeletons which may well have no relation to the native Americans living in the same area much later
August 19, 2017
I gave this two stars because it does contain much great historical information. It shows from contemporary newspaper reports and books that there were, indeed, giant skeletons of poeple from several thousand years ago. These range from 7-10 feet in length. That's the two stars.
Minus two stars for making no connection of the Smithosonian 'cover-up', other than accusations, and maybe slight allusions to this by stating several times that the findings from 'such and such' site were to go to the Smithsonian for safekeeping/storage.
A final 'minus star' because most of the book, while interesting and full of good information about the mound builders, had very little to with either giants or a cover-up. By many of the reports, most people from ancient America were normal height, even 2-3 inches shorter than today.
Finally, the conclusion was quick references to the Bible to prove the author's point that giants existed at some point in human history and that the fact that this isn't more widely known is the Smithosonian's fault. If you put the 'cover up' on the cover of a book, you need to prove your point. This author doesn't.
Minus two stars for making no connection of the Smithosonian 'cover-up', other than accusations, and maybe slight allusions to this by stating several times that the findings from 'such and such' site were to go to the Smithsonian for safekeeping/storage.
A final 'minus star' because most of the book, while interesting and full of good information about the mound builders, had very little to with either giants or a cover-up. By many of the reports, most people from ancient America were normal height, even 2-3 inches shorter than today.
Finally, the conclusion was quick references to the Bible to prove the author's point that giants existed at some point in human history and that the fact that this isn't more widely known is the Smithosonian's fault. If you put the 'cover up' on the cover of a book, you need to prove your point. This author doesn't.
October 30, 2025
The book is a collection of newspaper articles and research papers published from the past until probably 1990's telling of finds throughout America of Native American's and/or early people that would be considered giants in height. It also told of other interesting findings such as coins, hieroglyphics on tablets, etc. that tell of a much more advanced civilization than what we have been taught to believe was in America before Christopher Columbus. It is very eye-opening. I thought at some point, the author would start giving more current theories about these finds or at least an explanation of what happened to all of the evidence of these finds. But that never happened, the entire book is a collection of these articles. I also felt like the finds could have been grouped better; either by location, period of discovery or estimate period of existence. I found it hard to remember where all the different locations given in the book were located because it jumped around.
February 13, 2024
Very interesting book, some of the reviews do not do any justice to this great effort, the book is not only a compilation of old news, it also compiles a lot of archaeological sound research that we do not hear about. One should analyse the consistency of the histories, and how they fit perfectly together with the later research. The picture that emerges is astonishing, it seems that a population of very tall white people had a very sophisticated culture and end up been killed and mingled with a later culture, what we call the Indians or natives, it is a great read though the articles are not in depth, you get the picture after a while as all the research seems to strength each new finding. It also testifies that the Smithsonian institute does not a really trustful institution as they do not report on some of their finding...
August 27, 2025
The sources present highly questionable claims of ancient giants in America, primarily relying on sensational nineteenth- and early twentieth-century newspaper reports of discoveries. Many alleged giant skeletons conveniently crumbled to dust upon exposure to air or were reportedly lost or made to disappear after being sent to institutions like the Smithsonian. The book posits a “great Smithsonian cover-up” driven by a desire to suppress alternative or unscientific histories. However, the author himself acknowledges that some artifacts (such as so-called “holy stones”) initially presented as evidence were later exposed as hoaxes by a local dentist, casting doubt on the reliability of many such discoveries. This book is a great example of a conspiracy theory. To disagree with anything is to become part of the coverup.
March 8, 2015
When most people are presented with a report of something having happened, they tend to evaluate it in one of three ways:
* The person is telling the truth and is reasonably accurately reporting the situation
* The person is telling the truth, but is mistaken about what happened
* The person is deliberately lying, and the situation did not happen
There are a number of factors that weigh into that evaluation.
One of them should not be the "extraordinariness" of the claim, in my opinion.
Marcello Truzzi famously said that "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof." He was quoted by Carl Sagan, so some attribute the phrase to the astronomer.
For me, science should mean that you evaluate all claims without regard to previous assumptions.
What makes an extraordinary claim more difficult to accept is that every claim of a sighting (for example), is a compound claim, having several elements.
If someone says to you, "I saw a horse in a barn," there are several elements:
* Horses exist
* Barns exist
* Horses can be in barns
* Horses can be seen
* The person in front of you can see
* The person in front of you could have been in a barn when a horse was there
Most people have already filed the first four above in the "true" category in their minds, so the claimant doesn't have to prove them. The odds are that the fifth claim is true, so for most people, it would come down to the sixth.
On the other hand, if someone said, "I saw a Bigfoot in a SmartCar," there would be more elements of the claim you might not already accept:
* Bigfoots exist
* SmartCars exist
* Bigfoots can be in SmartCars
* Bigfoots can be seen
* The person in front of you can see
* The person in front of you could have been where they could see a Bigfoot in a SmartCar
If you do not accept the first claim, you could still evaluate the person as honest but inaccurate. It could have been someone in a costume, for example.
I'm bringing all of this up because the basic claim in The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America: The Missing Skeletons and the Great Smithsonian Cover-Up by Richard J. Dewhurst is likely to be rejected out of hand by the majority of people.
Essentially, the claim is that giant human skeletons were found in America, having evidently been buried as part of their culture.
Before reading the book, you may not accept that giant humans (let's go with eight feet tall or more) do exist. Oh, you might allow for Robert Wadlow, who was reportedly nearly nine feet tall, but not that there had been a number of humans of that height.
You should look at your own decision making process to determine what might make you accept that assertion.
The bulk of the book is reproduction of news stories.
I've read some of those stories before (I have some in my Weird Old Days Flipboard magazine, although I did not add most of them until after reading this book).
The striking thing about them is how matter of fact so many of them are...and some of the similarities.
We hear about people mistaking fossils of other types of animals as humans, but these are often described quite carefully, and reportedly examined sometimes by medical professionals.
One common thing is discoverers putting the jawbone over their own face (and it fitting easily) or seeing that the skull would fit over their own heads.
That doesn't sound like mythology or fantasizing.
If, and that evaluation will be up to you, giant humans existed in what is now the USA, and if hundreds of skeletons were found in the 19th Century, why don't we all learn about that in school?
That's where I think Dewhurst is on shakier ground.
The subtitle of the book suggests, and Dewhurst references the idea, that there was a deliberate cover up by the Smithsonian Institution.
The evidence for that seems circumstantial. An article reports that an expert from the Smithsonian is coming to a discovery site...and then the skeletons and/or artifacts aren't in the official record.
I would describe the cover up portion as an accusation of wrongdoing, and I think that requires a pretty high standard of proof. In a court of law, the prosecution might provide a motive...I'm not sure what that would be here, but I can get by without one if there was some stronger evidence: even a whistleblower would strengthen the case.
I will say that the ideas in the book are interesting...if the reports are truthful and accurate, there would certainly be a different history about the Americas than most people believe.
As to the production of the book: the one disconcerting thing for me was that the exact same words seemed to be repeated pretty often. My guess is that, in the paper book, those appear as pull quotes from the article. In my Kindle edition, though, that wasn't apparent. Dewhurst would describe what an article would say...and then the article would say it.
All of that said, I did find the book interesting. I think many people would, even if they don't believe in the truth of what is being asserted.
Be aware that religion will eventually enter into the discussion, and that some may see the suggestion that what may have been people of European descent in North America having a "superior" culture to the Native American one in the past may be offensive (to be clear, Dewhurst does not make that assertion).
Bottom line: a lot of research has gone into this book, and it will likely leave you wondering...
* The person is telling the truth and is reasonably accurately reporting the situation
* The person is telling the truth, but is mistaken about what happened
* The person is deliberately lying, and the situation did not happen
There are a number of factors that weigh into that evaluation.
One of them should not be the "extraordinariness" of the claim, in my opinion.
Marcello Truzzi famously said that "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof." He was quoted by Carl Sagan, so some attribute the phrase to the astronomer.
For me, science should mean that you evaluate all claims without regard to previous assumptions.
What makes an extraordinary claim more difficult to accept is that every claim of a sighting (for example), is a compound claim, having several elements.
If someone says to you, "I saw a horse in a barn," there are several elements:
* Horses exist
* Barns exist
* Horses can be in barns
* Horses can be seen
* The person in front of you can see
* The person in front of you could have been in a barn when a horse was there
Most people have already filed the first four above in the "true" category in their minds, so the claimant doesn't have to prove them. The odds are that the fifth claim is true, so for most people, it would come down to the sixth.
On the other hand, if someone said, "I saw a Bigfoot in a SmartCar," there would be more elements of the claim you might not already accept:
* Bigfoots exist
* SmartCars exist
* Bigfoots can be in SmartCars
* Bigfoots can be seen
* The person in front of you can see
* The person in front of you could have been where they could see a Bigfoot in a SmartCar
If you do not accept the first claim, you could still evaluate the person as honest but inaccurate. It could have been someone in a costume, for example.
I'm bringing all of this up because the basic claim in The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America: The Missing Skeletons and the Great Smithsonian Cover-Up by Richard J. Dewhurst is likely to be rejected out of hand by the majority of people.
Essentially, the claim is that giant human skeletons were found in America, having evidently been buried as part of their culture.
Before reading the book, you may not accept that giant humans (let's go with eight feet tall or more) do exist. Oh, you might allow for Robert Wadlow, who was reportedly nearly nine feet tall, but not that there had been a number of humans of that height.
You should look at your own decision making process to determine what might make you accept that assertion.
The bulk of the book is reproduction of news stories.
I've read some of those stories before (I have some in my Weird Old Days Flipboard magazine, although I did not add most of them until after reading this book).
The striking thing about them is how matter of fact so many of them are...and some of the similarities.
We hear about people mistaking fossils of other types of animals as humans, but these are often described quite carefully, and reportedly examined sometimes by medical professionals.
One common thing is discoverers putting the jawbone over their own face (and it fitting easily) or seeing that the skull would fit over their own heads.
That doesn't sound like mythology or fantasizing.
If, and that evaluation will be up to you, giant humans existed in what is now the USA, and if hundreds of skeletons were found in the 19th Century, why don't we all learn about that in school?
That's where I think Dewhurst is on shakier ground.
The subtitle of the book suggests, and Dewhurst references the idea, that there was a deliberate cover up by the Smithsonian Institution.
The evidence for that seems circumstantial. An article reports that an expert from the Smithsonian is coming to a discovery site...and then the skeletons and/or artifacts aren't in the official record.
I would describe the cover up portion as an accusation of wrongdoing, and I think that requires a pretty high standard of proof. In a court of law, the prosecution might provide a motive...I'm not sure what that would be here, but I can get by without one if there was some stronger evidence: even a whistleblower would strengthen the case.
I will say that the ideas in the book are interesting...if the reports are truthful and accurate, there would certainly be a different history about the Americas than most people believe.
As to the production of the book: the one disconcerting thing for me was that the exact same words seemed to be repeated pretty often. My guess is that, in the paper book, those appear as pull quotes from the article. In my Kindle edition, though, that wasn't apparent. Dewhurst would describe what an article would say...and then the article would say it.
All of that said, I did find the book interesting. I think many people would, even if they don't believe in the truth of what is being asserted.
Be aware that religion will eventually enter into the discussion, and that some may see the suggestion that what may have been people of European descent in North America having a "superior" culture to the Native American one in the past may be offensive (to be clear, Dewhurst does not make that assertion).
Bottom line: a lot of research has gone into this book, and it will likely leave you wondering...
August 25, 2025
Useful & Interesting
However, these newspaper and magazine articles really need to be organized. The subject matter jumps all over the place and back again. Often there is no indication, even in a general sense, of where event took place, or when. While interesting, the stories of farmers and amateurs digging out the Native American mounds and archaeological sites was depressing for the knowledge we lost.
However, these newspaper and magazine articles really need to be organized. The subject matter jumps all over the place and back again. Often there is no indication, even in a general sense, of where event took place, or when. While interesting, the stories of farmers and amateurs digging out the Native American mounds and archaeological sites was depressing for the knowledge we lost.
November 8, 2025
Great information and presented in a slightly less dull manner than the Fritz Zimmerman books on the same subject. In many sections, it is just copies of newspaper articles from the 1800s. What makes this book better than most is that many of the articles cite the Smithsonian taking possession of the bones and evidence which the Smithsonian claims never existed.
March 12, 2018
An intriguing book but could have been better organized; it's not always clear whether the "giant" remains were found alone or with "normal" ones. Still, thought-provoking, especially as "Caucasian" burials in a primitive style (mummification) were discovered on Catalina Island.
October 8, 2019
Lots and lots of statistcs, data, info, about the existence of "big" fellows in old America...
I would be better if the book tried to explain, theorize, more about who they were, where they came from, etc...
But, for the theme, it is a must read.
I would be better if the book tried to explain, theorize, more about who they were, where they came from, etc...
But, for the theme, it is a must read.
November 8, 2018
Excellent compilation of 1700s and 1800s newspaper articles regarding giant bones in America. He makes a strong case for the Smithsonian cover-up.
March 21, 2019
A nice collection of articles featuring accounts of unearthed giants in America. More original content would have been nice, but the material is intriguing enough to send one on their own research.
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