‘The Lions of Oak Island’ Is Here! Eight Years in the Making
I am absolutely delighted to announce that my new book, The Lions of Oak Island, is NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon Kindle! A paperback edition will follow.
After eight years of research, journeys, discoveries and more than a few unexpected turns, I can finally share this investigation with you.
AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON KINDLE — BUY YOUR COPY HERE
(A Note About the Kindle Edition: To preserve the book’s detailed historical maps, illustrations and original page design, The Lions of Oak Island has been published in Amazon’s Print Replica format. This means the pages retain their original appearance, but the text does not automatically resize or reflow. For the best reading experience, I recommend using the Kindle app on a tablet, iPad or computer, where you can zoom in to examine the pages and illustrations. Please note that Print Replica editions are not compatible with traditional Kindle e-readers, although they can also be viewed through compatible Kindle apps on smartphones.)
A Few Handwritten Words That Changed Everything
It began in 2018 with a few handwritten words in the lower-right corner of Zena Halpern’s controversial map of Oak Island.
They were easy to overlook beside the island’s outline and the tantalizing promise of what might lie beneath its surface. Yet those words captured my attention and set me on a journey across the Atlantic, into the medieval history of France, and toward connections I had never anticipated.
The phrase was le lionceau de Talmont — the young lion of Talmont.
Who was this young lion? And, perhaps just as importantly, where was Talmont?
Those two questions would occupy much of the next eight years.
Eight Years of Research and The Curse of Oak Island
I first published my findings in February 2018, identifying two different places bearing the name Talmont and exploring the significance of the lions associated with the map. My book followed in 2022 with my main discoveries having been included, just in time for S6 November, The Curse of Oak Island.
In September 2018, I crossed the English Channel to continue my investigation in France, visiting the places whose names had begun to fill my notebooks. What began as an examination of a few handwritten clues was becoming a much larger historical investigation.
I shared my investigation in the War Room with the team in 2019 on the heels of filming for Season 6 – Whether the two War Rooms on my Talmont discoveries made it to the screen or not, I’ve had wonderful experiences filming with The Curse of Oak Island. Meeting the team, keeping them updated on my discoveries and eventually setting foot on the island in 2025 was a true gift which I will never forget…
My involvement with the series has included research into Nolan’s Cross, the extraordinary medieval carvings of Royston Cave to name a few…
It has been an extraordinary experience to share elements of my research with the Oak Island team and viewers around the world.
But television can only reveal part of an investigation. Behind those appearances are years of historical research, archival discoveries, journeys through France, and connections that deserve to be explored in greater depth. Since updating the team with my discoveries in the summer of 2025 – I’ve since found a world of new information on the artifact that is the Rochefoucauld Map of Oak Island. As an author with ‘hot’ information, the last thing I wanted to do was sit on my hands for another year. SO! This book represents the ‘lions share’ of my work from my first realizations that ‘the young lion of Talmont’ was a layered code back in 2018 to all that I’ve discovered since updating the team in 2025 –
That is the story I have brought together in The Lions of Oak Island.
Two Talmonts and a Much Larger Mystery
One distinction became central to my investigation: Talmont-Saint-Hilaire and Talmont-sur-Gironde are two different places, with different histories.
One lies near the Atlantic coast of the Vendée, while the other overlooks the Gironde estuary. Both have important maritime histories, and I argue that both deserve consideration in the search for the young lion.
Following their histories brought me into the worlds of Richard the Lionheart, Edward I and Louis of Thouars who lived during 1347, a date on the map and a brick in Royston Cave!
These men belonged to different generations, yet each has a place in the investigation. Their stories lead through powerful medieval families, coastal fortifications, ports, heraldic symbols and the religious communities that helped shape the Atlantic world.
The Knights Templar and the Cistercians form an important part of that wider picture. So, too, do the ships, builders, navigators and networks that made extraordinary journeys possible.
As my research progressed, I began to see the Oak Island mystery through a broader historical lens.
Rather than concentrating solely on the possibility of one voyage, by one individual, I explore the evidence for repeated multi-generational maritime missions. The historical connections are fascinating, and they offer new ways of approaching questions that have intrigued Oak Island researchers for centuries.
In this book, I bring together historical records, medieval seals, church carvings, maritime archaeology, heraldry and the surviving clues that have sustained my investigation and I followed the whispers of ‘Templarism’ through England, France and Oak Island, Nova Scotia.
And then, of course, there is the fish.
The Smallest Clues Can Ask the Largest Questions
There is a small fish drawn in the lower-right corner of Zena Halpern’s map.
It occupies very little space, but it has occupied a considerable amount of my research!
What initially appeared to be a modest symbol encouraged me to investigate some remarkable relationships between medieval families, faith, inheritance, heraldry and the sea.
Sometimes the smallest details lead to the most extraordinary discoveries.
The significance of that little fish belongs to the final stages of my investigation, and I have deliberately saved it for the book.
After all, I can’t give away all my secrets before you’ve had a chance to read it!
Available Now on Kindle — Paperback to Follow
I have decided to release The Lions of Oak Island first as an Amazon Kindle ebook, allowing readers to begin exploring the research while I complete preparations for the paperback edition.
Due to the large file size of the ebook, I’ve had to make the choice to pair down the images and save them for the paperback. Those of you on older tablets and e-readers will thank me, but I have left the all important maps and architectural surveys of key locations.
For those who prefer holding a physical book in their hands, the paperback will follow, fully illustrated as intended. I will share further publication details as they become available.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to French photographer Jean-Bernard AUGIER, who has generously contributed his beautiful photography to this publication. His remarkable eye for historical architecture, medieval stonework and the details that often escape our attention brings another dimension to this investigation. While a selection of his photographs appears in the Kindle edition, the forthcoming print edition will showcase a larger collection of his images, allowing readers to appreciate these extraordinary places and their historical details in greater depth. I am delighted to have his work accompanying my research. I look forward to featuring his work in further blogs.
THE LIONS OF OAK ISLAND — AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON KINDLE In Your Country
Thank you to everyone who has followed my work, asked thoughtful questions, shared information and encouraged me to bring these years of research together.
Your support and interest have meant a great deal to me.
And to my wonderful Patrons, some of whom have followed this investigation for years, you know just how long this book has been in the making!
Thank you for your patience, your encouragement and your belief in my research. I am so happy to be sharing it with you at last.
With my heartfelt thanks,
Gretchen Cornwall
