Lynn Picknett
Encyclopedia
Lynn Picknett is a writer, researcher, and lecturer on the paranormal
, the occult
, and historical and religious mysteries.
in April 1947, Picknett grew up in a haunted house
in York, attending Park Grove Junior School and Queen Anne Grammar School. After graduating from university with an Upper 2nd (hons) degree in English Literature, she briefly became a teacher, a shop assistant, and a stand-up comic before moving to London in 1971 to join Marshall Cavendish Publications as a trainee sub-editor.
In the 1980s, she was Deputy Editor on The Unexplained
and contributor to many other publications. She was also a regular contributor on various radio shows, including Michael van Straten and Clive Bull
's on LBC and Talk Radio. She was also a television presenter for both Anglia
and Southern TV.
In 1990 she was guest curator for the Royal Photographic Society
's exhibition The Unexplained at Bath, performing the same function in 1999 for the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television at Bradford.
In the early 1990s, she teamed up with fellow researcher and writer Clive Prince. Their first book, Turin Shroud: How Leonardo da Vinci Fooled History was the first mainstream work to reveal how all the so-called miraculous characteristics of the Turin Shroud could easily be reproduced only using a pinhole camera
(camera obscura), and argued that Leonardo da Vinci
not only faked it, but used his own face for the model of Jesus'.
Their 1997 The Templar Revelation
was credited by Dan Brown, both in The Da Vinci Code
and in the 2006 court-case (Baigent & Leigh v. RandomHouse), as the main inspiration for his novel.
Between 1999 and his death in 2003, she and Clive Prince worked with Stephen Prior, described in book blurb
as "a historian specialising in intelligence matters".
Picknett and Prince perform most of the research for their books themselves, though they are sometimes helped by several friends and fellow researchers. They have credited Keith Prince as a main contributor for their work on the Turin Shroud, Philip Coppens in The Stargate Conspiracy, and Robert Brydon for their work on Rudolf Hess
.
She nurtures her interest in the paranormal through her membership of The Ghost Club.
Picknett, as well as Prince, makes a brief appearance in the film The Da Vinci Code
. The pair appear on a London bus as the protagonists are traveling to the Temple Church in London. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks
) leaves his seat to join Sophie (Audrey Tautou
) at the back of the bus, and Picknett and Prince are seen sitting on the left.
She is the author of:
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
, the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
, and historical and religious mysteries.
Life
Born in Folkestone, Kent, EnglandFolkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
in April 1947, Picknett grew up in a haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
in York, attending Park Grove Junior School and Queen Anne Grammar School. After graduating from university with an Upper 2nd (hons) degree in English Literature, she briefly became a teacher, a shop assistant, and a stand-up comic before moving to London in 1971 to join Marshall Cavendish Publications as a trainee sub-editor.
In the 1980s, she was Deputy Editor on The Unexplained
The Unexplained (magazine)
The Unexplained: Mysteries of Mind, Space, & Time was a popular partwork magazine published in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1983 by Orbis Publishing...
and contributor to many other publications. She was also a regular contributor on various radio shows, including Michael van Straten and Clive Bull
Clive Bull
Bull Clive is an award-winning radio talk show host, best known for presenting a late-night show on LBC 97.3 in London, England.-Background:...
's on LBC and Talk Radio. She was also a television presenter for both Anglia
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
and Southern TV.
In 1990 she was guest curator for the Royal Photographic Society
Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society is the world's oldest national photographic society. It was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1853 as The Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the Art and Science of Photography...
's exhibition The Unexplained at Bath, performing the same function in 1999 for the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television at Bradford.
In the early 1990s, she teamed up with fellow researcher and writer Clive Prince. Their first book, Turin Shroud: How Leonardo da Vinci Fooled History was the first mainstream work to reveal how all the so-called miraculous characteristics of the Turin Shroud could easily be reproduced only using a pinhole camera
Pinhole camera
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens and with a single small aperture – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box...
(camera obscura), and argued that Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
not only faked it, but used his own face for the model of Jesus'.
Their 1997 The Templar Revelation
The Templar Revelation
The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ is a book written by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince and published in 1997 by Transworld Publishers Ltd in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand...
was credited by Dan Brown, both in The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
and in the 2006 court-case (Baigent & Leigh v. RandomHouse), as the main inspiration for his novel.
Between 1999 and his death in 2003, she and Clive Prince worked with Stephen Prior, described in book blurb
Blurb
A blurb is a short summary or some words of praise accompanying a creative work, usually used on books without giving away any details, that is usually referring to the words on the back of the book jacket but also commonly seen on DVD and video cases, web portals, and news websites.- History :The...
as "a historian specialising in intelligence matters".
Picknett and Prince perform most of the research for their books themselves, though they are sometimes helped by several friends and fellow researchers. They have credited Keith Prince as a main contributor for their work on the Turin Shroud, Philip Coppens in The Stargate Conspiracy, and Robert Brydon for their work on Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
.
She nurtures her interest in the paranormal through her membership of The Ghost Club.
Picknett, as well as Prince, makes a brief appearance in the film The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code (film)
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code...
. The pair appear on a London bus as the protagonists are traveling to the Temple Church in London. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
) leaves his seat to join Sophie (Audrey Tautou
Audrey Tautou
Audrey Justine Tautou is a French model and film actress, best known for playing the title character in the award-winning 2001 film Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, Sophie Neveu in the 2006 thriller The Da Vinci Code, Irène in Priceless and Coco Chanel in Coco avant Chanel...
) at the back of the bus, and Picknett and Prince are seen sitting on the left.
Works
She is the co-author of:- Turin Shroud: In Whose Image? the Truth Behind the Centuries-Long Conspiracy of Silence (with Clive Prince)
- The Templar RevelationThe Templar RevelationThe Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ is a book written by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince and published in 1997 by Transworld Publishers Ltd in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand...
(with Clive Prince) - Stargate Conspiracy: The Truth about Extraterrestrial Life and the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt (with Clive Prince)
- Double Standards: The Rudolf Hess Cover-Up (with Clive Prince and Stephen Prior)
- War of the Windsors: A Century of Unconstitutional Monarchy (with Clive Prince and Stephen Prior)
- Encyclopedia of Dreams
- Friendly Fire (2004) (with Clive Prince and Stephen Prior)
- The Sion Revelation (2006) (with Clive Prince)
- The Masks of Christ: Behind the Lies and Cover-ups About the Man Believed to Be God (2008)(with Clive Prince)
- The Forbidden Universe (2011) (with Clive Prince)
She is the author of:
- The Loch Ness Monster (Pitkin Guides)
- Royal Romance an Illustrated History of the Royal Love Affairs
- Mary Magdalene: Christianity's Hidden Goddess
- The Secret History of Lucifer
- Mammoth Book of UFOs
- Flights of Fancy? 100 Years of Paranormal Experiences