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

Dan Brown’s thriller The Da Vinci Code has created an extraordinary Christian 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 updated second edition explores and explains the context of the novel, from how the early Christian Church ''edited'' The Bible to the true history of the holy grail and to what art historians make of Leonardo Da Vinci''s symbolism in the Last Supper and other works. There is a brand-new chapter on the making of the eagerly anticipated Da Vinci Code movie, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard. The guide includes information on all the Da Vinci Code sites in Paris, Rome, Jerusalem, New York, London and Edinburgh. There are 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 help you understand the world it inhabits.

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.