The Dan Brown Enigma

by Graham A Thomas

  [130] Taken from the High Court Witness Statement paragraph 82

  [131] The information in this paragraph regarding the codes and the accuracy of the locations, paintings and so on is taken from Brown’s High Court Witness Statement.

  [132] Good Morning America, NBC TV interview Brown did with Matt Lauer, March 2004

  [133] The quote and the information in this paragraph and the preceding one come from Table Talk, An Interview With Dan Brown, by Bill Ewing, published in the Exeter Phillips Journal

  [134] IBID

  [135] Dan Brown, The Man Behind The Da Vinci Code: An Unauthorized Biography, by Lisa Rogak, pp 95-96

  [136] The Witness Statement, The Da Vinci Code section, paragraph 125

  [137] New Statesman Man Of The Year – Dan Brown, by Jason Cowley, published to the New Statesman web pages on 13 December 2004

  [138] IBID

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  [139] NBC Today Programme with Matt Lauer, published on the Transworld website under Dan Brown at booksattransworld.co.uk

  [140] The facts here are from Lisa Rogak’s The Man Behind The Da Vinci Code: An Unauthorized Biography, pp 98-99

  [141] Entertainment Weekly, Dan Brown interview by George Kirschling, published to the EW website on 24 March 2006

  [142] See Lisa Rogak’s book, pp 99-100

  [143] Matt Lauer Interviews with Dan Brown, published to the Today Show web pages, 15 September 2009

  [144] Entertainment Weekly Interview with Dan Brown by George Kirschling

  [145] Good Morning America, ABC TV, hosted by Charles Gibson with Dan Brown, aired November 2003 and Rogak says the contest was set up between Good Morning America and Doubleday

  [146] The Today Show, The Matt Lauer Interviews with Dan Brown

  [147] IBID

  [148] The information in this paragraph is from Lisa Rogak’s book, p. 102

  [149] Dan Brown: Indiana Jones meets Joseph Campbell, by Craig McDonald, Art in The Blood, published by Wildside Press, 2006, p. 131

  [150] See the Entertainment Weekly online interview with Dan Brown

  [151] This quote and the preceding one are from the Entertainment Weekly online interview

  [152] See Craig McDonald’s interview, Dan Brown, Indiana Jones meets Joseph Campbell p. 105

  [153] IBID p. 137

  [154] This quote and the preceding one comes from the Craig McDonald interview with Brown

  [155]  See Craig McDonald’s interview with Dan Brown p. 131

  [156] Secrets of the Code, The Case Of The Purloined Plot, An Interview with Lewis Perdue, by Dan Burstein, published by CDS Books, 2006 p. 443

  [157] IBID

  [158] This quote and the preceding quotes are from the Secrets of the Code, The Case of The Purloined Plot

  [159] IBID

  [160] IBID p. 448

  [161] The Matt Lauer Interviews, with Dan Brown

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  [162] Secrets Of The Code, The Dan Brown Revelations, by David A. Shugarts, edited by Dan Burstein, p. 382

  [163] Secrets Of The Code, The Vatican Code, by Maureen Dowd, edited by Dan Burstein, p. 416

  [164] See the Secrets Of The Code, The Cardinal and The Code, by Dan Burstein, p. 425

  [165] IBID p. 427

  [166] See David A. Shugarts piece, The Dan Brown Revelations in Secrets Of The Code edited by Dan Burstein, p. 382

  [167] See Burstein’s Secrets Of The Code, The Cardinal and The Code, p. 428

  [168] IBID p. 429

  [169] See Dowd’s The Vatican Code, in Secrets Of The Code, The Vatican Code p. 417

  [170] This quote comes from the Wikipedia entry on The Da Vinci Code, October 2010, and while it is generally understood that the Wikipedia entries may not be reliable the entries for Brown and his books are backed up by many, many references and so must be taken seriously.

  [171] Monsignor Francis J. Maniscalco, of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote this in his Introduction on the Jesus Decoded web site

  [172] See David A. Shugarts, The Dan Brown Revelations, published in Secrets Of The Code, p. 381

  [173] See the introduction by Monsignor Francis J Maniscalco on the Jesus Decoded web pages

  [174] IBID

  [175] History vs The Da Vinci Code, by Tim O’Neil, published to the internet in 2006 at historyversusthedavincicode.com

  [176] Cracking The Da Vinci Code, published by Catholic Answers, to catholic.com 2004

  [177] The Dan Brown Companion, by Simon Cox, published by Mainstream Publishing, 2006 p. 48

  [178] See The Dan Brown Companion by Simon Cox, pp 48

  [179] The Priory of Sion in The Da Vinci Code, published in the Priory of Sion entry on Wikipedia

  [180] This quote and the information and quotes in the preceding paragraph are from the Wikipedia entry on The Priory of Sion in The Da Vinci Code.

  [181]  See Brown’s Witness Statement, paragraph 206

  [182] See Cracking The Da Vinci Code, published by Catholic Answers, 2004, http://www.catholic. com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp

  [183] This quote and the preceding one are in the Wikipedia entry, The Priory of Sion in The Da Vinci Code

  [184] See The Da Vinci Code Wikipedia entry on the inaccuracies in the novel

  [185] A response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States, 16 November 2006

  [186] Paragraphs 117 and 118 of Brown’s Witness Statement

  [187] Page 134 of The Da Vinci Code

  [188] Tim O’Neil provides excellent information on Constantine’s bible on his site, History vs. The Da Vinci Code,

  [189] This entire passage was taken from Brown’s talk at the Capitol Centre, for the New Hampshire Writer’s Project , on the 18 May 2004

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  [190] See The Witness Statement, paragraphs 204-205

  [191] See paragraph 209 of Brown’s Witness Statement, in The Da Vinci Code section

  [192] In paragraph 211 of The Witness Statement Brown says he used these three books, The Templar Revelation (Picknett & Prince) (Chapter 53); The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (Starbird) (Chapter 59); and The Goddess in the Gospels (Starbird) (Chapter 58)

  [193] It must be remembered that Brown wrote his witness statement based on what he could remember were his reasons for using The Holy Blood, The Holy Grail, some two years earlier when he was writing The Da Vinci Code. Despite he and Blythe spending several months refreshing their memories before the court case Brown qualifies many passages in the statement as being what he could remember

  [194] Da Vinci Publisher in Court Case, BBC News, published 21 October 2005

  [195] IBID

  [196] Date Set For Da Vinci Court Case, BBC News web pages, published 27 October 2005

  [197] Authors Claim Brown ‘Stole Da Vinci Code Plot’, by Richard Alleyne, published in the Daily Telegraph, 28 February 2006

  [198] See Alleyne’s article, Authors Claim Brown ‘Stole Da Vinci Code Plot’

  [199] Da Vinci Code Case Increases Book Sales, published on the Mail Online, 09 March 2006

  [200] IBID

  [201] A Test Of Faith, by Maev Kennedy, published in the G2 section of The Guardian, 17 May 2006 and to The Guardian website, guardian.co.uk the same day

  [202] IBID

  [203] Da Vinci Code Challenger Copies, BBC News, published 10 March 2006 to the BBC News web pages

  [204] All Things Considered, broadcast on National Public Radio®. in America. The information is from a transcript of the show in 2006 hosted by Robert Siegel who interviewed Bookseller reporter Katherine Rushton covering the trial in London

  [205] IBID

  [206] Rushton reported these sales figures during the plagiarism trial to Robert Siegel, hosting the National Public Radio® show, All Things Considered, broadcast around March - April 2006

  [207]
 Both quotes come from Da Vinci Code Author Scorns Copy Claim, published by BBC News, 13 March 2006

  [208] IBID

  [209] See All Things Considered, broadcast on National Public Radio®. in America. The information is from a transcript of the show in 2006 hosted by Robert Siegel who interviewed Bookseller reporter Katherine Rushton covering the trial in London

  [210] Expectations Dashed By Legal Reality, by David Sillito, published to BBC News web pages on 13 March 2006

  [211] IBID

  [212] I Did Not Lie, Says Code Author, published by BBC News web pages, 14 March 2006

  [213] This conversation comes from the BBC News online article, I Did Not Lie, Says Code Author, published to the web on 14 March 2006

  [214] Brown Duels In Court, by Kevin Sullivan, published in the Washington Post and on the web pages of the newspaper on Wednesday 15 March 2006

  [215] See Sullivan’s article, Brown Duels In Court, published to the Washington Post web pages, 15 March 2006

  [216] Da Vinci Copy Claim In Tatters, published by BBC News, 17 March 2006

  [217] IBID

  [218] IBID

  [219] Brown Wins Da Vinci Code Plagiarism Battle, by Cahal Milmo, published in the Independent, 8 April 2006

  [220] IBID

  [221] IBID

  [222] Dan Brown Wins The Da Vinci Code Copyright Case, published to the Mirror Celeb News pages on 29 March 2007

  [223] Librarian Comments on Da Vinci Lawsuit, published by the Associated Press in 2006

  [224] Da Vinci In New Plagiarism Claim, published on the BBC News web pages on 14 April 2006

  [225] Brown Plays Down Code Controversy, published on BBC News online pages, 24 April 2006

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  [226] The Da Vinci Formula, The Da Vinci Code formula for success, published February 2006 at storyline-features.co.uk

  [227] See the Wikipedia entry, The Da Vinci Code, 21 October 2010, at wikipedia.org

  [228] IBID

  [229] 5 Star Entertainment, Review of The Da Vinci Code: The Illustrated Edition, by ‘janlaws’, published to Amazon 15 February 2005

  [230] A Thriller Which Actually Thrills!, by Bukhtawar Dhadda, published to Amazon on 28 November 2004

  [231] This glowing review, The Da Vinci Code, by Miss Andrea P Keyte, was published to Amazon on 27 June 2005

  [232] This review comes from, Leonardo’s Last Laugh, by Captain Pugwash ‘Lidders’, published to Amazon on 9 May 2009

  [233] The Da Vinci Code is Intelligent and Fun, by W.R. Greer, published to the Review of Books. com in 2003,

  [234] This quote is an excerpt of the review by Roz Shea, The Da Vinci Code, published to the Bookreporter.com in March 2003

  [235] The article published on Wikipedia entry for the book sites the Salman Rushdie quote as coming from LJworld.com, while the Stephen Fry remark it says was originally mentioned on QI, Stephen King’s remarks were made during an address at the University of Maine and the final comments of the quote came from the Language Log web pages, from a piece entitled The Dan Brown Code

  [236] This quote comes from a review, Inaccurate, Insubstantial and Preposterous, by R Bain, published to the Amazon web pages, 1 June 2005

  [237] See The Witness Statement, paragraph 163

  [238] These references to his lectures can be found in The Witness Statement, paragraphs 172 to 176

  [239] This information comes from paragraphs 178 and 179 of The Witness Statement

  [240] These quotes from Brown are from The Witness Statement, paragraphs 192-3 and paragraph 196

  [241] The information from the preceding paragraphs and the quotes by Brown come from paragraphs 138 to 143 of The Witness Statement and the information on the Rosslyn Chapel can be found at (www.rosslynchapel.org,uk).

  [242] See paragraphs 99-100 of The Witness Statement

  [243] This quote from Brown comes from his lengthy, detailed Witness Statement, paragraph 217

  [244] See Lisa Rogak’s book, The Man Behind The Da Vinci Code: An Unauthorized Biography, p. 118 citing the broadcast of the National Public Radio, Weekend Edition, 26 April 2003

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  [245] The Matt Lauer Interviews, the Today Show, 15 September 2009

  [246] The facts in this paragraph come from Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol breaks records for first week sales, by Michelle Pauli, published on The Guardian web pages 22 September

  [247] This quote and the facts in the following sections come from Decoding The Lost Symbol, by Simon Cox, published in late 2009 by Mainstream Publishing, p. 13

  [248] This is taken from the Barnes & Noble interview with Dan Brown, published on the Barnes & Noble website barnesandnoble.com

  [249] See Decoding The Lost Symbol, by Simon Cox p. 14

  [250] The quote and information in the preceding paragraph referring to the internet feeding frenzy and the information in this paragraph come from Decoding The Lost Symbol, by Simon Cox, p. 15

  [251] See Decoding The Lost Symbol, p. 16

  [252] The Lost Symbol Sweeps The Stores, by Robert Booth, published on The Guardian web pages, 15 September 2009

  [253] See Booth’s article, The Lost Symbol Sweeps the Stores, published on The Guardian web pages

  [254] The Today Show, The Secrets Of The Lost Symbol, Matt Lauer interviewing Dan Brown, aired Friday 16 October 2009

  [255] See Decoding The Lost Symbol p. 17

  [256] This quote is taken from the Masonic website, The Lost Symbol and Freemasonry, Published by the Masonic Society on 14 July 2010 at freemasonlostsymbol.com

  [257] This whole section comes from the Masonic Society website, The Lost Symbol and Freemasonry, published on 14 July 2010 to answer some of the claims in Brown’s novel

  [258] The Today Show, The Secrets Of The Lost Symbol

  [259] The information in the preceding paragraphs on the circumpunct comes from the web pages The Heritage Key, Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol - Circumpunct, Ra, or Circle With a Dot in the Middle?, by Gen Swart,, published on 28 September 2009. If one does a Google search on the word circumpunct roughly 1400 responses come up and the word doesn’t appear in many dictionaries either. The few web pages where the circumpunct is discussed can be found in the Wikimedia Commons on the origins and the authenticity of the word. Some people believe the term was first coined in the 1990 by followers of the short-lived religion and teachings of ‘Brian the Cyber Prophet.’

  [260] See the Barnes & Noble interview with Dan Brown, hosted by Steve Bertrand

  [261] The facts in this paragraph and the quotes/facts in the preceding ones come from the Today Show, The Secrets of The Lost Symbol, interview Brown did with Matt Lauer

  [262] See the Barnes & Noble interview with Dan Brown, by Steve Bertrand

  [263] IBID

  [264] See Decoding The Lost Symbol, by Simon Cox, p. 17

  [265] See the interview Brown did with Steve Bertrand in the Barnes & Noble studios, now published to the Barnes & Noble web pages

  [266] The information in this paragraph and quotes, along with the quotes and facts in the preceding one can be found in the Barnes & Noble interview

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  [267] See the NBC Today Show, Secrets of The Lost Symbol, originally aired on 15 October 2009

  [268] All of the information in the preceding paragraphs and in this one are from the NBC Today Show, Secrets of The Lost Symbol, hosted by Matt Lauer

  [269] This quote comes from a National Public Radio (NPR) broadcast, All Things Considered, aired 15 September 2009

  [270] IBID

  [271] The New York Times review of The Lost Symbol, Fasten Your Seat Belts, There’s Code to Crack, by Janet Maslin, published to the NY Times web pages, 13 September 2009 two days before the official release

  [272] This quote is taken from the Masonic website, The Lost Symbol and Freemasonry, Published by the Masonic Society on 14 July
2010

  [273] The facts around the plot come from the Wikipedia entry, The Lost Symbol, published to wikipedia.org

  [274] See Janet Maslin’s excellent review of The Lost Symbol. Her reviews of Brown’s previous books have been of great benefit to the author.

  [275] Maslin’s quotes are from her review of The Lost Symbol

  [276] Book Review The Lost Symbol, by Nick Owchar, published by the LA Times, 14 September 2009, in both this paragraph and the preceding one

  [277] Book Review, Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, by Malcolm Jones published in Newsweek on 15 September 2009

  [278] The whole section with quotes from the National Post review comes from Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, by Robert Wiersema, published in the National Post online pages, 17 September 2009

  [279] The passage about The Daily Telegraph review is from Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, by Jeremy Jehu, who gave it a two-star rating in The Daily Telegraph on 15 September 2009

  [280] How Good Is Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, by Lev Grossman, appeared on Time’s web pages on 15 September 2009

  [281] A bit boring …, The Lost Symbol (paperback), by BG posted to Amazon on 24 Nov 2010

  [282] Amazon Book Review, Dan Brown, by J. Hollingsworth, posted to Amazon on 26 October 2009

  [283] Book Review, Not Great…, by rmf85, published to Amazon on 28 August 2010 who added that there was no explosive ending as there had been in Brown’s previous novels.

  [284] Book Review, So Dull…, by DP was posted on to Amazon on 11 March 2010 that also said the book was ‘extremely dull and a chore to finish’

  [285] Disappointed from Bath…, review of The Lost Symbol, posted to Amazon on 04 October 2010 which also suggested that Brown had lost his way

  [286] See the Lev Grossman review, How Good is Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, published to Time’s web pages on 15 September 2009

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  [287] Secrets of The Lost Symbol, NBC Today programme, hosted by Matt Lauer featuring a tour with Dan Brown through some of the locations in his book as well as interviews with key Masonic experts providing their points of view originally aired on 15 October 2009