New titles feed off ‘Lost Symbol’

After Dan Brown’s mega-selling “The Da Vinci Code” appeared in 2003, tracking the further adventures of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon (who first came on the scene in 2000’s “Angels & Demons”), publishers were quick to unleash a landslide of titles to feed off the novel’s success.

Some were well-written fiction adventures that stood on their own while others were hastily constructed reactions to Brown’s thesis that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus Christ and was pregnant by him when he was crucified. Many critics saw “The Da Vinci Code” as a heretical attack on the Catholic Church and pointed to factual errors, while other literary observers called it a exciting mystery.

With the success of Brown’s long-awaited sequel, “The Lost Symbol,” it’s a case of deja vu as a number of titles have appeared since September, this time concerning themselves with Brown’s exploration of Freemasonry and its impact on the nation’s capital and U.S. history.

Try this sampling:

•“Secrets of the Lost Symbol” by Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer (William Morrow, $25.99, 432 pages) is described as “providing compelling and authoritative explorations into (Brown’s) thought-provoking ideas. … (The authors) have gathered a wide range of world-class historians, theologians, scientists, philosophers, symbologists, code breakers, art historians, experts on the occult, and writers and thinkers of all types who give readers the essential tools to understand ‘The Lost Symbol.’ ”

•“An Illustrated Guide to ‘The Lost Symbol’ ” by John Weber (Pocket, $19.99, 192 pages) is described as a “comprehensive, fully illustrated and intricately detailed tour of the arcana of Washington, D.C. It takes readers through the codes, trivia, riddles, records and historic maps … which lie in the shadow of ‘The Lost Symbol.’ ”

•“Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’: The Ultimate Unauthorized and Independent Reading Guide” by Alex Carmine (Punked Books, $11.99, 156 pages) is called by its publisher “a chapter-by-chapter analysis of ‘The Lost Symbol.’ We know Brown likes to play with the names of his characters, so Carmine explores these in great detail … (revealing) the name of the real American family upon whom the Solomons are based. Carmine (also) explores the literary devices Brown employs, and the magical sleights of hand he uses to make the reader look the wrong way.”

•“The Secret Symbol: The Original Masonic Documents Behind Dan Brown’s Latest Bestseller” by Peter Blackstock (Profile, $19.99, 256 pages) “provides a timely and invaluable insight into the mysteries of the Masons, using a rich selection of original documents, some obscure and overlooked, others notorious but seldom seen.”

•“Deciphering the Lost Symbol: Freemasons, Myths and Mysteries of Washington, D.C.” by Christopher Hodapp (Ulysses, $12.95, 208 pages; on sale Friday) “guides readers step by step through Brown’s intricate novel while differentiating history and myth from pure fiction. … (It) provides the back story and descriptions of Washington, D.C., giving readers a more complete understanding of Brown’s thriller.”

•“Secrets of the Lost Symbol: The Unauthorized Guide to Secret Societies, Hidden Symbols & Mysticism” by John Michael Greer (Llewllyn, $9.95, 240 pages; on sale Friday) is called “an encyclopedic companion guide to ‘The Lost Symbol’ (that) uncovers the forgotten histories of arcane traditions that have shaped — and still inhabit — our modern world. Discover the truth about Freemasonry … and get the real story behind the Rosicrucians, the Temple of Solomon and ancient occult rites.”