The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code: History, Legends, Locations (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code combines startling twists of plot with a menacing atmosphere of invisible intrigue, right from its opening scene where, late..." (more)
Key Phrases: gnostic gospels, hieros gamos, dossiers secrets, The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, Mary Magdalene (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Dan Brown’s thriller The Da Vinci Code has created an extraordinary controversy, with its sub-plots of the sacred feminine in religion, the bloodline of Christ, the legend of the Holy Grail, and the role of sects like Opus Dei within the church. This Rough Guide explores and explains the context of the novel, including: - How the early Christian Church ‘edited’ The Bible, and drew on earlier religions. - What art historians make of Leonardo Da Vinci’s symbolism in "The Last Supper" and other works. - The true history of the Holy Grail, the Priory of Sion, and the debate on Mary Magdalene and the bloodline of Christ. - Location guides to Da Vinci Code sites in Paris, Rome, Jerusalem, New York, London and Edinburgh. - Reviews of Da Vinci Code sources and a glossary of everything from the Templars to the Fibonaccci Sequence.

Whatever you think of Dan Brown’s novel, this Rough Guide has the key to understanding its wider background.

About the Author

Michael Haag is a historian, experienced author and freelance writer. Veronica Haag is a Classicist at University College London and is as much at home in Latin and ancient Greek as in French and English. Her interests lie in the history, literature, art and philosophy of the ancient world, and in their manifestation during the Renaissance. She has a particular admiration for Leonardo Da Vinci.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 1ST edition (December 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843535173
• ISBN-13: 978-1843535171
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,818,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Readable Guide, March 29, 2005

By	Freeman HUEN, PhD(Cantab) (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

There have now been more than a handful of books promising to sort out the fact and fiction in Dan Brown's phenomenally successful DVC. I recommend this one by the Haags because it is very readable, in the best tradition of the Rough Guides. Physically, it is what a pocket-sized book should be like: handy and portable. Even more importantly, the book is readable in the sense that it is mostly (except a few pages between pp.140-8) comprehensible by itself even for those who have not read DVC, and enjoyable in its own right by laying out in an informed and stimulating manner the many contexts of DVC.
I confess that I fail to locate the errors claimed by another reviewer. On my copy (p.90), it is stated correctly that Urban II started the crusade in 1095. Neither did the Haags (p.131) deny the existence of the word "symbology", only that there was no such academic department or professorship at Harvard. I also disagree with the previous reviewer that the Haags are in the debunking mood of discrediting the premises and evidence of Brown's theory/plot. Quite the contrary, I find them very even-handed and are always being fair and objective to the allegations and allusions in DVC. For a book that is not academically oriented, this scholarly impartiality is admirable enough. If the book appears at times confusing, it may be because the Haags are trying to make (the best) sense of what is in fact not very defensible and coherent in DVC itself. The Haags are not even hostile to myth and legend as such. Indeed, any serious and sincere understanding of myth-making (the making of ANY myths including those endorsed by the power that be or embraced by the general public) should lead us not to the kind of triumphalism found in so many debunkers of DVC, but make us humble regarding OUR own collective or personal myths we live by. Under this light, the Haags raise many important historical and religious questions, e.g. how historical is history itself?, why is it hard for the Church to accept the fully human sexuality of Jesus? I propose that the only profitable way of reading a novel like DVC is NOT to take it too seriously by confusing fiction with fact, instead we should take it seriously enough by exploring the questions and contemplating the possibilities it opens up.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really useful and fascinating book, January 19, 2005

By	Ruth Ruthven (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

I found this Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code the best book about the questions raised by Dan Brown's thriller. In fact it is a lot more than that -- it is a complete pocket reference book to the basic themes and ideas and facts of early Christianity, ancient history, goddess worship, the sacred feminine, and so on -- with a comprehensive glossary and lists for further reading and informative websites. I did notice one or two typographical mistakes, but why quibble? This book has meat!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book gave me all the background stuff I was looking for, November 30, 2004

By	Louise Blades (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

I had so many questions after reading The Da Vinci Code, and this book, which I just picked up in Britain before flying home, gave me all the background information I was looking for. I especially valued the chapters on Leonardo, the Gnostics and the Sacred Feminine, which opened my eyes to so many things in such a clear, concise and well written way. And there is a great glossary, which itself is like a mini guide to The Da Vinci Code. And really helpful maps and location guides to places which feature in the book, like Paris and London, and even Jerusalem. What a thoughtfully organized and comprehensive book this is.