What if the tales from the Old Testament and other ancient writings, such as those from Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, and Greece, were not myths or allegory but accounts of actual historical events? Known for his ability to read and interpret ancient Sumerian and Akkadian clay tablets, Zecharia Sitchin (1920-2010) took the words of our most ancient ancestors as fact and, through decades of meticulous research, showed that they revealed a coherent narrative about the true origins of humanity and civilization. Drawing both widespread interest and criticism, his Earth Chronicles series of books, beginning with The 12th Planet, detailed how humanity arose after the arrival of the Anunnaki ("those who from Heaven to Earth came"), alien "gods" who created modern man in their own image and imparted gifts of civilizing knowledge. Each piece includes an introduction by Sitchin's niece, offering context and insight into Sitchin's passionate work. These introductions reveal the man behind the theories, a world traveller known for his scholarship, dry humour, and precisely chosen words. If his theories are true, as Sitchin wholeheartedly believed, then this collection presents some of the most important knowledge we have of our origins and future.