Dan Brown digs out 'The Lost Symbol'
Dan Brown of 'The Da Vinci Code' fame has not only finished his
latest book, but he's so excited about it. Ron Howard, the director of
'The Da Vinci Code' has expressed that he could not wait to lay his
hands on Brown's latest book 'The Lost Symbol' too.
The Lost Symbol, formerly known under the working title as The
Solomon Key, is an upcoming novel by American writer Dan Brown.
The Lost Symbol will be the third book to involve the character of
Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon, after 2000's 'Angels and
Demons' and 2003's 'The Da Vinci Code'.
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Dan Brown |
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book's story will Take care, place in Washington, D.C. and focus on
Freemasonry and The Lost Symbol, a reference to a ciphered pictogram in
an important talisman, the Hebrew Key of Solomon.
The book has been in development for several years; originally
expected in 2006, the projected publication date has been pushed back
multiple times.
The book will be published on September 15 with an initial print run
between 5 to 6.5 million copies, which will be the largest first
printing in publisher Random House's history, and there is no date yet
scheduled for the release of the electronic version.
The book has been on pre-order lists for a few months and is being
heavily ordered both in the U.S. and Canada. Brown's US publisher Sonny
Mehta described it as "a brilliant and compelling thriller" which is
"well worth the wait".
Internet speculation however has pointed to September 18 as a
possible release date, as on that day in 1793, the cornerstone of the US
capitol was laid in a formal Masonic ceremony with George Washington in
Masonic regalia.
More than 60 million copies of 'The Da Vinci Code' have been sold
around the world. It also helped boost the popularity of the Exeter
native's first three books, 'Digital Fortress' (1998), 'Angels & Demons'
(2000), 'Deception Point' (2001).
In 2005 Brown was on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential
people of the year. Forbes put the Rye Beach author at No. 12 on its
2005 Celebrity 100 list and estimated his annual income at $76.5
million. The film adaptation of 'The Da Vinci Code' was released in
2006, starring Tom Hanks as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. 'The Da
Vinci Code' was the second highest grossing movie of 2006 worldwide. Our
friends at Wikipedia said it grossed $758,239,851, making it both Tom
Hanks' and Ron Howard's most successful film.
On April 23, 2006, Brown came to The Music Hall in Portsmouth for the
Writers on a New England Stage series.
During his speech, he said was working on his next book, reportedly
called "The Solomon Key" and set in Washington, D.C. He said he's
"taking all the time required to make sure it's as entertaining as 'The
Da Vinci Code.'" A former student and teacher at Phillips Exeter
Academy, he also hinted that he plans to go back to teaching "soon."
In the weird revisionist history of Hollywood, Brown's first book
featuring Langdon, "Angels & Demons," was filmed as a sequel to "Da
Vinci Code" and will be released, starring Hanks, on May 15 of this
year.
And the rest, as they say, is fingers drumming on a table.
In October 2008, Doubleday - Brown's publisher - laid off 10 percent
of its workforce. |
