Sample the New Secrets of the Code

Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code is a compendium of original thought and writing, excerpts from numerous books, websites, and magazines, and interviews with key writers and scholars active in their fields.

To convey a sense of the rich flavor and scope of Secrets of the Code, we have posted here a generous sampling of the material directly from its pages.

For example, Dan Burstein’s introduction sets the tone for the book by posing a series of questions to which he wanted answers after reading The Da Vinci Code. Among them: Is it truly possible Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married and started a holy bloodline? Is there really an alternative Christian tradition? Did Leonardo embed secret messages in his paintings? Burstein then goes on to enumerate some of the reasons The Da Vinci Code has become such a phenomenon, such as: it’s a novel of big ideas, publishing during at an uncertain age when many are seeking their own “grail,” and dealing with current hot-button issues ranging from feminism to secret societies.

The reference-book nature of Secrets of the Code can be seen in the Glossary, an extensive A-Z compendium of the historical characters, references, symbols, and technical terms used in the novel. For those who would like to delve deeper into the ideas and themes raised by Dan Brown, there is an annotated list of what we consider to be the best books related to The Da Vinci Code.

For the sleuths among our readers, we suggest starting with Dave Shugarts’ marvelously detailed analysis of the novel’s plot details, providing yet another perspective on the question of what’s fact and what’s fiction in The Da Vinci Code. And he puts the icing on the cake with an explanation of the origins of the names of Brown’s leading characters. (In the book he also delves into the mysteries surrounding Dan Brown himself.)

And for those who a taste of some of the controversies surrounding the book, we have posted commentary on the highly charged statement by the Vatican’s Cardinal Bertone, who was “astonished that so many people believe these lies.” He promptly urged good Catholics to boycott The Da Vinci Code because it was “rotten food.”

These and other samples can be found under the "From Secrets of the Code" drop-down menu. We hope they will lead you to want to read the entire book.