Customer Reviews

Decoding The Lost Symbol: The Unauthorized Expert Guide to the Facts Behind the Fiction

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Decoding The Lost Symbol by Simon Cox is the go-to book for those who want to read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. If you have read Dan Brown's books, you know that they are filled with symbolism, conspiracy theories, secret societies, and historical oddities. The author has created a book that gives an insight to some of these references in The Lost Symbol. There is quite a bit of information about Freemasons, Thomas Jefferson and buildings in Washington DC. Some of the other topics are Ancient Mysteries, some Biblical references, historical figures and even one of my favorite artists, Albrecht Duer. A fun book whether you read Dan Brown's book or not!

Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol is the follow up book to The Davinci Code. It involves a lost symbol found on our nation's capital that turns out to be a mysterious inviation. Decoding the Lost Symbol by Simon Cox decodes the references to people, places and things in Dan Brown's book, The Lost Symbol. It is THE guide to all the mysterious references in The Lost Symbol.

Not only is Decoding the Lost Symbol a guide for those who read The Lost Symbol, it's a guide to secret societies, forgotten history & conspiracies in general. Are you interested in the Great Pyramid? Maybe you're curious the Freemasons? Wondering about the CIA or the symbolism on our dollar bill?

Just turn to the table of contents in Simon Cox's book, Decoding the Lost Symbol, to learn all about these and other mysteries in our history. You really don't need to have read Dan Brown's book, The Lost Symbol to enjoy Decoding the Lost Symbol. It's a book anyone interested in conspiracy theories or our mysterious history would enjoy.

Simon Cox's Decoding the Lost Symbol is the perfect resource to round out the historical knowledge presented in Dan Brown's newest release, and bestselling thriller, The Lost Symbol.

What Brown covers in his fast-paced narrative in breadth--Freemasonry, alchemy, Noetic Science, and symbolism scattered around our nation's capital, among other themes--Cox covers the depth, filling in the holes and dissecting even the lesser referenced subjects in The Lost Symbol. And more important to the value of the book, the extent of Cox's research and focus on the subject matter is vividly clear in the quality of writing and inclusivity of the sixty carefully chosen topics, listed in an easy-to-reference alphabetical order. With a section of photographs and an extensive bibliography, Cox's book will satiate Brown fans' thirst for visual proof and authenticity of the obscure and incomprehensible.

A first-rate book by a first-rate author, Cox's Decoding the Lost Symbol has earned its title as an "expert guide to the facts behind the fiction" of Dan Brown's novel many times over. Five stars!

- By Julia Dudek, author of the psychological thriller [...]

Review first published on [...]

This book was great. It explained the history behind the book. I learned a lot more about the groups and symbols mentioned in the Lost Symbol. It also gave me the information I needed to do a lot more research for my writing.

As a boy, I remember how much fun it was having secret clubs, secret meetings, secret symbols which no one shared except best friends. In my neighborhood, we spoke a form of Pig Latin as a coded way of communicating. "Where are you going?" became "ehre-whay are-ay ou-yay oing-gay?" Let's face it, secrets are fascinating just because they arouse our curiosity.

It would appear that the symbolism in ~The Lost Symbol~ is equally exciting. It comes from a variety of sources, practically all of which are mysteriously oblique. Simon Cox in his book, Decoding The Lost Symbol: The Unauthorized Expert Guide to the Facts Behind the Fiction, makes an attempt to explain what a lot of these symbols stand for, many of which Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon encounter on their quest for the ultimate Ancient Mysteries.

So what are these Ancient Mysteries? It appears they are a summation of secret wisdom collected down through the ages, passed on from generation to generation through mystery schools. "Some of the earliest mystery schools we find were in ancient Greece." These schools had their origin when people attempted to study and understand the "philosophy and mysticism" of their own time (circa 1600 BC). Often this early doctrine was puzzling and oblique, subject to many interpretations which gave rise to various mystery schools.

As an example, one can imagine how Plato's philosophical concept of souls pre-existing in an ideal world could lead to much questioning, then either acceptance, rejection, or some middle ground. His doctrine of the Demiurge's existence seemed equally mysterious and open to interpretation.

The mental paradigms from different Greek schools and other poignant schools of thought often became associated with symbols representing difficult core concepts and ideas. Thus, adherents to a particular philosophy linked together to reinforce various beliefs. Sometimes sacred dramas and rituals were performed to pass these Ancient Mysteries from one generation to the next.

In Decoding The Lost Symbol, author Cox mentions that today's Freemasonry has access to these Ancient Mysteries and continues, like it has from ancient times, to act as their guardian. Masons delight in espousing how important their members have been in shaping human society, including the thinking of our forefathers, many of whom were Masons: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, among others.

The All Seeing Eye of the providential God found on the United States one-dollar bill is recognizably a potent sign of an omnipotent deity. Masons claim that it sits above an unfinished stone pyramid which not only can be associated with the original colonies, but also with the huge pyramids of Gaza as well. It has often been rumored that Masons were involved in the building of these pyramids and the monumental temple of Solomon.

James K. Polk (11th president) laid the cornerstone for the Washington Monument. He was a Mason. In Decoding The Lost Symbol, author Cox reveals that the monument has specific symbolic meaning and was constructed according to Masonic dimensions. In addition, presiding at the ceremony was Benjamin B. French who wore the actual Mason apron of George Washington. This same apron had been worn at the cornerstone-laying of the Capitol Building.

The cap of the monument was to have been a five pointed star with specific Masonic meaning. Instead, it was topped with a piece of pure aluminum dedicated on December 6, 1884 in a Masonic ceremony. The aluminum pyramid has thirteen levels just like the layers on the Great Seal of the United States.

The few notes I've given here about the symbolism in Dan Brown's latest book, which Robert Langdon attempts to interpret to locate The Lost Symbol, is to give you, the reader, a flavor for the type of material found in Decoding The Lost Symbol. This book is a fun read but must be taken only for what it claims to be.

On the cover it states the book is "the unauthorized expert guide to the facts." As such, the reader must keep in mind the authenticity of its "expert" facts. Very often in the book, author Cox will remind the reader that some of his claims are legendary--rumored--highly questionable. For instance, one of the ten commandment stones was alleged to be the emerald tablet, the key text used in alchemy, "brought down from Sinai by Moses."

Decoding The Lost Symbol, if nothing more, gives a varied interpretation for much of the symbolism found in ~The Lost Symbol.~ One can only begin to imagine how icons and signs created in long centuries past have gathered more and more esoteric moss rolling down the ages. For this reviewer it is fair to say that in so many instances, just about any interpretation can be drawn from a symbol depending on one's needs, particularly an author writing an exciting novel.

I think Decoding The Lost Symbol gives a rather fair interpretation of Freemasonry, a world-wide order claiming millions of members. Its effort to improve the welfare and understanding among people is surely nothing to be feared; neither are its many complicated rituals and degrees of membership. As genuine research has shown, those who attempt to paint a secret sinister side to Masonry are ignorant of its doctrines which, when examined closely, proclaim goodness for all mankind under a brotherhood of the Great Architect of the Universe.

If one is to read this book, I would recommend reading it before ~The Lost Symbol.~ It will provide a clearer understanding of the interpretive dilemmas faced by Katherine Solomon and Robert Langdon in their desperate search for the Ancient Mysteries.

Review written by Regis Schilken
Author of:
Tears of Deceit

Other interesting reads:
The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth About the Symbols, the Secret Rites, and the History of Freemasonry
Masonic Enlightenment - The Philosophy, History and Wisdom of Freemasonry
The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill

This is a good book for deeper studying. The decoding gives a good esoteric history of continuing knowledge from Hermeticism to the last codes of the dollar bill.
The decoding helps to understand what has been behind the scenes in past times.

The codes of establishing America and even codes in ourselves are explained.

This is a good book to understand the purpose and methods used by God to establish America.

I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to "mysteries" and Freemasons and alchemy and that sort of thing. One of the greatest classes I took in college was called "Alchemy and Transformation of Self." So, when reading the Lost Symbol, I wanted more facts, was literally thirsting for more facts. I knew a little bit about most of the things Dan Brown was talking about in his extensively researched novel, but I just needed more.

Simon Cox has given us that. In his well-organized Lost Symbol reference guide, you will find, in alphabetical order (of course!), brief descriptions of every possible thing one might have wondered about while reading the Lost Symbol. And he gives you just enough to satisfy your curiosity. As such, it doesn't get boring if you're reading a subject that's not particularly interesting, but you still get a good fill of all of the things that you find fascinating.

Still, I was so curious about some of the things he said that I'll definitely be doing a bit more research. I had never heard before, for example, that some people believe that Shakespeare didn't actually write any of his works. And that some people believe that maybe Sir Francis Bacon (whom I've always adored) did write them. I'll definitely be looking more into this.

All in all, even though it's a reference guide, it's extraordinarily easy and fascinating to read. Simon Cox has done a great job of separating Lost Symbol fact from Lost Symbol fiction while at the same time presenting the reader with enough knowledge to feel, well, knowledgeable.

I always prefer to buy the hardcover editions but this came to me highly recommended before I got it. I now am giving my own ringing endorsement! It's a must have in addition to the Decoding the DaVinci Code.

A great book!

I say that not as a Dan Brown fan. Dan Brown totally turned me off with his book DaVinci Code, because in the introduction he promised the "facts" were true, but that wasn't the case. Brown also said he did extensive research, but it was obvious he relied mostly on one source that wasn't very good. As a reader, I felt betrayed. For this reason, I don't read Dan Brown books.

So why did I read a book that is about a Dan Brown book? Simon Cox has a reputation as an expert researcher, and I thought this work might be an interesting read. It was. And it's a worthy, engaging read even if you can't stand Dan Brown (I can't).

Two things struck me about this book right away:

1. It was fast-tracked for publication.
2. It's excellent.

Usually, these two characteristics are mutually exclusive. Somehow, Simon Cox managed to do both in one book. Perhaps he's related to Kimberly Cox, another person of outstanding merit and ability. I looked in the Acknowledgements, and didn't see the name....

This book stands on its own as a valuable collection of historical facts. Something struck me about this book upon completion: I didn't find errors of fact (there were a few typos). That is highly unusual. I normally find something wrong and often find a substantial list of factual errors in the various books I read and review.

Of course, it helps that this work goes well beyond my knowledge level on these topics, so I'm not in a position to spot some errors that it might contain. But still, I usually catch something. And in this case, nada. As I read dozens of books each year and have found only a few that have ever pulled that off, Cox joins an elite club.

If you like arcane history, this book is a treasure chest. As stated in its introduction, the book is structured in an A to Z format. That doesn't mean there are 26 chapters. It just means that topics starting with a given letter are covered, and those topics are in alphabetical order. Six topics start with the letter A, and none start with X or Y. Cox, it turns out, has written four other A to Z works. He seems to have a flair for this format.

The introduction is 15 pages long. The body of the work is 221 pages long. Normally when I read a book that I like, my reading speed goes up and I later refer to it as a fast read. This book isn't a fast read, though the writing style is crisp and conversational. It's the kind of book that I like to linger over. I like to flip back and forth in to correlate one set of facts with another. Though it's an easy read, it's more the kind of book you'd want to study.

It makes an excellent addition to anyone's library. If you have regular lunch or dinner companions, consider asking them to buy a copy so you have some lesser-known history to bat about (assuming you like substantial conversations).

For example, why is the Washington Monument 555 feet tall instead of the originally planned 600 feet and why is it located in its present location rather than the originally intended one? What was its role in the War Between The States (often misnamed the "the Civil War" though it does not meet the definition of same), and why? And what the heck is a circumpunct? Who was Crowley and why does he matter?

I'm not sure which of the chapters I liked best. But on the short list would be the five-page chapter about Sir Isaac Newton. I've read a fair amount on Newton over the years, yet found most of Cox's information new. So it was with many topics he covered.

This same book could be reprinted into a hardbound, glossy edition selling for four times as much. As a paperback, it's a real bargain.

I did not even finish this book. There were way too many passages from the book. If you have not read the book this may be one you want to read first to help you better understand The Lost Symbol. It does help explain some of the mysteries in the book but I would suggest reading either one or the othe but not both.