Apocalypse When?: Why we want to believe there will be no tomorrow

Could the ancient Mayans who, it is claimed, predicted the end of the world in 2012 also have foreseen the astonishing fascination with their prophecy in our supposedly cynical and rational age?

There is nothing new about End-time alarms: the early Christians lived in a perpetual state of expectation, and over the last 2000 years there have been at least 200 dates set for ‘The End’ – all of which have resulted in disappointment. Even science contributes to doomsday thinking. Remember the Y2K bug and the rumours that the Hadron collider would create a black hole?

In Apocalypse When? Ted Harrison asks why it is that every generation has its prophets of doom and why they always manage to gather followers. Why do many people eagerly look forward to the end? What happens when prophecies are proven wrong? And he explores why some believe that Doomsday does not herald the end of humankind, but rather a new beginning.

Includes original research on the Harold Camping apocalypse prediction of May 2011, and the reactions of believers around the world when the prophecy was unfulfilled.