The Lost Symbol has arrived and with over one million copies sold on the first day, September 15, 2009, the novel broke records for the most sales of adult fiction in English. Curious readers and reviewers will have over 500 pages to ponder: Is there a “lost Symbol,” some “secret Knowledge," a "secret Wisdom," the secret to human happiness? Has that symbol been discovered? Who was entrusted with this secret wisdom? How has it been passed on from generation to generation? Is the secret right before our eyes, cleverly concealed in codes and symbols? Is there a "key" to decipher the code, to unlock the secret?




Many of these questions are answered in Professor Beyer's 33 Keys to The Lost Symbol: A Reader's Companion to the Dan Brown Novel, published in November 2009 by Newmarket Press that contains 7 sections, 33 "keys" and illustrations, and 133 hyperlinks to the enhance the enjoyment of Dan Brown's novel. But there is so much more that some curious readers might want to know. This wiki is intended for them. The book has been translated into Portuguese and published in Brazil. A Spanish translation has also been announced. Translations into Hungarian and Indonesian are also available. The latest translation is into Japanese.

In April the publication of Dan Brown's long awaited new novel was announced with a publication date of September 15, 2009. In spite of a previous slip by a publisher's representative who had called the novel The Solomon Key, the new novel is entitled The Lost Symbol. Few secrets were revealed in the announcement save that the action would be compressed into twelve frantic hours. Previous hints by Brown indicated that the novel will unfold in Washington, D.C. and involve the Masons and their connections to leading figures in American history. Even before the publication of Dan Brown's next novel, articles, books, and yes even web pages were beginning to appear, hoping to capitalize on the economic success of The DaVinci Code. Clearly the real content of the book will be known only after its publication. But like previous novels, there will be renewed interest in the topics, references and allusions Brown makes.

In preparation for Brown's novel Professor Thomas Beyer had been gathering background information on the major topics of the Freemasons, architectural mysteries of Washington and the Great Seal, The Secret Teachings of All Ages, and much more. He assembled several hundred pages of annotations to over 200 possible references or illusions in the novel. He has taken extensive photographs of Washington D.C. and the Masonic Temples in Washington and Alexandria. He has researched the Masons, the Founding Fathers and their Masonic connections, conspiracy theories of the architecture of D.C., and esoteric and occult writings. Professor Thomas Beyer has taught seminars for students and adults at Middlebury College on The DaVinci Code and on the originally suggested title of The Lost Symbol which was The Solomon Key. He authored with students an online Keys to the DaVinci Code. His students are currently writing and editing an electronic guide to Angels and Demons.

The commentary along with hyperlinks and images is available in the pages that follow. This is a work in progress intended as a living organism that can grow as needs be. It hopes to address any and all aspects of the novel that are not completely self-evident to an English reading audience. While some of the information in the novel may be well know to Americans, there are millions more non-Americans who read English and whom some of the references are new or obscure. The work that follows is for the general reader. While I am a scholar, this is not a scholarly work, but it should make reading The Lost Symbol all the more fulfilling. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of Vanessa Neergheen who has labored tirelessly for months to help complete many of the entries. Some work still needs to be done, but without Vanessa's help this would be a rather empty shell.

Thomas Beyer is represented by Grace Freedson Publishing Network, LLC. 375 North Broadway, Suite 102, Jericho, NY 11753 516-931-7757 (gfreedson@worldnet.att.net).