Variety has reported that Columbia Pictures is moving forward with plans for a movie version of Dan Brown's most recent book, The Lost Symbol. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will once again produce (returning from The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons), although it's not known yet if Howard will also direct. Tom Hanks is expected to reprise his role as Robert Langdon.

In an amusing coincidence, Columbia have signed screenwriter Steven Knight to adapt to the book for film (Akiva Goldsmith penned the two previous adaptations). With Brown's book bringing positive press to the Masonic fraternity, some readers might remember that it was the late British author Stephen Knight (no relation, as far as I know) and his book The Brotherhood which instigated a major scare campaign against Freemasonry in the 1980s....

A rare video interview with Dan Brown, about how Freemasonry and Noetic Science have inspired both he and his readers:

Definitely seems more relaxed and open than in the more important primetime interviews with Matt Lauer.

To view this article in its original typeset format, you can download a PDF version of it, which is a free download of Appendix 1 from The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol (just $9.95 on Amazon.com). The Guide takes you deeper into the hidden history of the United States, Freemasonry, Noetic Science, and other topics that Dan Brown wrote about in his latest bestseller. Check out the Guide now, to get a better understanding of the fascinating revelations in The Lost Symbol. Available from Amazon US, Amazon UK, or as a Kindle eBook.

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In late 2003 it was pointed out to me that the dust cover of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code contained a number of curious ‘anomalies’: map co-ordinates in ‘mirror writing’, bolded letters hiding odd messages, and more. The reason for these strange inclusions became clear when Dan Brown announced in an interview that clues about the sequel to The Da Vinci Code were hidden on the cover of the bestselling book. By solving these puzzles and ciphers – and being conversant with many of the topics and resources Brown was likely to use in writing the sequel, I was able to write a complete primer on the as-yet unpublished book in late 2004 (the progenitor of this book you are holding now). In this very early ‘guide’ to the contents of The Lost Symbol – originally titled (and self-published) as Da Vinci In America – I gave background information on many of the topics that I surmised would be in the new book: Francis Bacon and the transmission of Rosicrucian philosophies, the history of Freemasonry, how ‘the Craft’ influenced America’s Founding Fathers, and the esoteric landscape of Washington, D.C. (including such exotic locales as the Scottish Rite’s “House of the Temple”).

When the cover artwork for The Lost Symbol was released in July 2009 I received the first confirmation that my research was on the right track. Though only the front cover and spine design was released prior to publication, it was enough to show that various locations in the American capital which I had written about were important to the new book.

A little help in visualising an early scene in The Lost Symbol: here's the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in all its glory. The photo was taken during a memorial service for former President Gerald Ford in 2006 (and is in the public domain). Click for a huge version (2000px by 3000px):

Though it hardly needs pointing out, Brumidi's Apotheosis of Washington dominates the upper half of the image. Awe-inspiring setting really.

Before The Lost Symbol was released I wrote an article pointing out the codes on the front cover and spine, and a few of the possible solutions. I've been meaning to update it for a while, but the easiest way is probably just to provide a PDF file of the Appendix 1 from The Guide to The Lost Symbol, in which I give all the codes (so far recognised) and their solutions. So, here it is!

Remember you can buy the complete guide from Amazon US for just $9.95, or if you're on the other side of the pond, from Amazon UK for £7.99 (mad prices, I know). If you're really cheap, or on the cutting-edge of technology (or both), you can instead grab the Kindle version for just $5.99! Either way, I appreciate your interest!

Update 19th Dec, 2009: I've just posted a HTML version of the article as well.

Last week the New York Times featured a crossword puzzle based on The Lost Symbol. You can now download that crossword as a PDF from the official Lost Symbol website. Test your knowledge of the book, and have some fun in the process - it's a good challenge. Thanks to Bill Gates for the heads-up.

Just musing to myself about a few of the things that Dan Brown missed (or omitted, for unknown reasons) when writing The Lost Symbol. I thought of quite a few while reading the book, I should have written down a list. Here's a couple that I mention in The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol - I'll update it with more if/as I remember them:

1. The phrase 'Laus Deo': Dan mentions how this phrase is written on the pyramidion of the Washington Monument, translating to 'Praise God'. What he doesn't elaborate on is that 'Laus Deo' is a phrase used in Scottish Rite Freemasonry. It forms part of the rituals and has also been inscribed on jewels of the Scottish Rite (see The Guide for an image).
2. Edgar Mitchell: Dan Brown explains the strange research and history of the Institute of Noetic Science (IONS), but for some reason omits one of the more fascinating aspects of IONS - it was created by Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell after he had a mystical experience while returning from the Moon. This seems perfect material for Dan Brown to elaborate on in TLS - why didn't he use it (did his research miss this fact)? And, to double the Apollo interest factor in TLS: Edgar Mitchell founded IONS, and another Apollo astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, is a 33° Scottish Rite Mason - Aldrin even took a handmade Scottish Rite flag to the Moon on his famous mission with Neil Armstrong.

Feel free to add your own in the comments section.

Boing Boing recently featured an article on Dan Brown from Arthur Goldway, author of Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies:

No one has ever accused Dan Brown of being a literary stylist; he's too easy to parody. His narrators natter on like chatty tour guides, bludgeoning us with trivia and heavy-handed exposition. His hero Robert Langdon seems to suffer from a testosterone deficiency; his celibate bad guys, with their bulging muscles and self-mortified flesh, are creepily fetishized. But ANGELS AND DEMONS, THE DA VINCI CODE, and now THE LOST SYMBOL do more than merely lead their legions of readers on merry chases; they exhort them to reconsider their world view. Though the answers he provides may be trivial and sometimes historically inaccurate, the questions Brown asks us to consider are worth pondering. Does the church misrepresent Christianity? Is history filled with mysteries and intrigues that mainstream chronicles elide? Are science and religion converging?

Brown earnestly wants us to expand our view of human potential, to open ourselves up to a whole new paradigm--one that is more capacious and filled with possibilities than either secular scientism or the traditional Judeo-Christian world view.

Some criticism in there mixed up with fascinating discussion about a number of the topics covered in The Lost Symbol. Intelligent stuff for the most part, and worth a read.

For those trying to visualize Dan Brown's route around Washington, D.C. in The Lost Symbol, here's a handy little map to show you where everything is at a glance. Click for a larger version (approx. 500kb):

Due to the scale of the map, a few of the less important landmarks aren't included. Perhaps might be worth assembling a set of Google Earth/Maps co-ordinates as well for those that want to fly about the city - feel free to post any location co-ordinates you may have yourself.

In addition to the article on the 'Lost Word' I mentioned last week, you can also read a full chapter from The Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol right here on The Cryptex, as a free-to-download PDF in its original typeset format. Titled "Strange Constructions", this chapter takes a look at the sacred landscape and hidden history of Washington, D.C., and takes you deeper into many of the locations found in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

If you like the sample chapter, remember you can pick up the complete Guide to the Lost Symbol from Amazon.com for $9.95, or if in the United Kingdom from Amazon UK for £7.99. Available now.