33 Keys to Unlocking The Lost Symbol: A Reader's Companion to the Dan Brown Novel

by Thomas R. Beyer Jr.

Overview

Ever since Professor Beyer read The Da Vinci Code, he became intrigued by Dan Brown's use of facts in fiction. He realized that an examination of the novel could be a tantalizing and entertaining entry into the world of research and evaluating information, and decided to make it the subject of his freshman seminar class at Middlebury College.

Beyer and many of his students have followed Dan Brown's work ever since, and four years ago, Beyer began to anticipate and delve into the facts that would be the core of The Lost Symbol. Like millions of other expectant readers, he purchased a copy of the novel on its publication date, September 15, 2009. He read and analyzed it several times, and, at the urging of his publisher, focused on writing this handy, reader-friendly companion guide to The Lost Symbol, in which he elaborates on 33 key topics and identifies 133 Internet links for even further exploration.

The topics, organized by theme in seven sections, follow the plot of the story and cover the setting in Washington, D.C., art and architecture, cryptology, Freemasonry, secret teachings, science, and people and places in the novel, highlighted with 33 helpful illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557049193
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/08/2009
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

THOMAS R. BEYER, JR., a Professor at Middlebury College, who specializes in Russian language and literature, has taught numerous seminars on the works of Dan Brown, and is the editor of the online reference guide The Keys to The Da Vinci Code. He and his students are currently working on a wiki devoted to Angels & Demons. He is based in Middlebury, Vermont.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

I Names and Games 17

1 Robert Langdon 19

2 Mal'akh, Christopher Abaddon, Zachary 23

3 Peter, Katherine, Isabel Solomon 27

4 Word Games 31

II The District of Columbia 35

5 The L'Enfant Design 38

6 The New Rome 42

7 The Triangle 45

8 Washington National Cathedral 50

9 House of the Temple 54

10 The Washington Monument 58

III Art and Architecture 63

11 The Apotheosis of George Washington 65

12 The Three Graces 70

13 Melencolia I 74

14 The Capitol 78

15 The Obelisk and Pyramid 83

IV Cryptology 87

16 Kryptos 91

17 Right Hand of Mysteries 95

18 Freemason Cipher 99

19 Dürer's and Franklin's Magic Squares 101

20 The Symbol Square 104

21 Cover Clues 108

V Lost and Found Science 113

22 Noetics 117

23 The Field and The Intention Experiment 120

24 The Smithsonian Museum Support Center 124

25 Weighing the Soul and Total Liquid Ventilation 126

26 Modern-Day Science 130

VI Freemasonry 133

27 Origins 136

28 Rituals and Symbols 140

29 The Founding Fathers 145

30 Masons in Power 150

VII The Secret Teachings of All Ages 153

31 "The Invisible College" 156

32 The Hermetic Tradition and Manly Hall 161

33 The Bible 165

Sources and Resources 169