Geoff Holder is a British author. He has written twenty non-fiction books on the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

, as well as on unusual and unexplained events and objects. His works include ''The Jacobites and the Supernatural'' and ''101 Things to Do with a Stone Circle'', ''Scottish Bodysnatchers'' and nine titles in ''The Guide to the Mysterious...'' series, covering subjects throughout Britain. His work encompasses

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small bu ...

parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...

, ghosts,

Forteana Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 – May 3, 1932) was an American writer and researcher who specialized in anomalous phenomena. The terms "Fortean" and "Forteana" are sometimes used to characterize various such phenomena. Fort's books sold w ...

, neo-

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

ism,

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

s and graveyards. He also actively participates to paranormal investigations as a member of

The Ghost Club The Ghost Club is a paranormal investigation and research organization, founded in London in 1862. It is believed to be the oldest such organization in the world, though its history has not been continuous. The club still investigates mainly gho ...

Early life and education

Geoff Holder was born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in 1958, and grew up within the city, before later relocating to

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

. Holder cites an interest in dinosaurs, dragons and all things mythological as an inspiration for his future career. He spent three years studying with the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

, achieving qualifications in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Popular Culture. This was furthered by a degree in Film and Media studies at the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...

as a mature student, followed by a postgraduate diploma at

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom. History Attempts were made to establish an art schoo ...

, Dundee. Whilst attending

, he recreated the story of the Garden of Eden on stop-motion film, using figurines from various sci-fi series to play the roles. The cast included He-Man as Jehovah, a Dalek as Samael, and dinosaurs in various supporting roles.

Career

Throughout his working life, he held jobs including public footpath surveyor, coal shoveller, arts festival assistant, factory worker, fruit picker, civil servant and turkey slaughterhouse worker. Holder worked as a scriptwriter and producer for production company Speakeasy Productions, in Stanley, Perthshire, writing and producing works including ''Scotland: The Mysterious Country'', a documentary series for STV, and ''The Mary Millington Story'', which aired on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

. His early work included contributions to the

Perthshire Advertiser The ''Perthshire Advertiser'' (originally the ''Perthshire Advertiser and Strathmore Journal'') is a tabloid newspaper, published by Reach plc, in Perth, Scotland. The ''PA'', as it is commonly known, has two editions, a Tuesday and Friday. ...

, submitting the weekly column ''Mysterious Perthshire''. His other early journalistic work included pieces on travel and motorbike culture.

Literary works

''The Guide to Mysterious Perthshire'' was published in December 2006 by Tempus Publishing (now

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

). Since then he has written more than twenty books, including ''Paranormal Dundee'', ''The Guide to Mysterious Skye & Lochalsh'', ''The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow'' and ''The Guide to the Mysterious Lake District''.

Bibliography

* ''The Guide to Mysterious Perthshire'' (2006) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Iona and Staffa'' (2007) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Loch Ness and the Inverness Area'' (2007) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Arran'' (2008) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Stirlingshire'' (2008) * ''101 Things To Do with a Stone Circle'' (2009) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow'' (2009) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeenshire'' (2009) * ''The Guide to the Mysterious Lake District'' (2009) * ''Perthshire Murders'' (2009) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Skye and Lochalsh'' (2010) * ''Haunted Aberdeen and District'' (2010) * ''Scottish Bodysnatchers: A Gazetteer'' (2010) * ''The Jacobites and the Supernatural'' (2010) * ''The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeen'' (2010) * ''Paranormal Cumbria'' (2010) * ''Paranormal Perthshire'' (2010) * ''Paranormal Dundee'' (2011) * ''Paranormal Glasgow'' (2011) * ''The Little Book of Glasgow'' (2011) * ''Bloody Scottish History: Edinburgh'' (2012)

References

External links

www.geoffholder.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holder, Geoff 1958 births Living people Fortean writers Alumni of the University of Dundee Alumni of the University of Stirling Writers from Cardiff Welsh non-fiction writers Scottish writers Welsh occult writers Alumni of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design