As millions of readers worldwide react to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, so do many scholars. The novel has become a proxy debate for two compelling scholarly and social issues of our time: the feminist/post-feminist challenge to patriarchal authority; and the textual construction of meaning and value. Presenting the feminine as both dominant and sacred brings attention to every text which argues for dominance or divinity. Traditional scholars are being challenged to defend their disciplines and practices, to reassert the authority of their knowledge base. Postmodern scholars are finding an opportunity to explain to the world at large how texts construct meaning and maintain power structures. These essays examine resistance to the sacred feminine in religious, cultural, and literary histories. Robert Davis explores the return of the goddess to academic and popular discussions. Deanna Thompson examines the apocryphal evidence brought into the debate by the novel. Rachel Wagner looks at the larger issue of postmodern textual authority, and how Brown’s novel has brought Biblical interpretation to popular awareness. Arlette Poland reviews current feminist and academic thinking on textual versus spiritual authority regarding the feminine divine. Other essays identify the elusive and misunderstood sacred feminine in religion and literature; in church teachings and practices; in the variant Grail stories; in the mystery genre itself. Together, these essays place the reaction to these issues into broader social and contemporary contexts.

ABRIDGED EDITION If I die, the truth will be lost for ever . . . I must pass on the secret. History professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in France: the curator of the Louvre in Paris has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes and need Langdon's help to decipher them. When Langdon and a French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they find a trail that leads to the works of the famous artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. As the clues unfold, Langdon and Neveu must decipher the code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle before a stunning historical truth is lost forever . . .

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • An intelligent, lightning-paced thriller set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., with surprises at every turn. “Impossible to put down.... Another mind-blowing Robert Langdon story.” —The New York Times Famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon answers an unexpected summons to appear at the U.S. Capitol Building. His plans are interrupted when a disturbing object—artfully encoded with five symbols—is discovered in the building. Langdon recognizes in the find an ancient invitation into a lost world of esoteric, potentially dangerous wisdom. When his mentor Peter Solomon—a long-standing Mason and beloved philanthropist—is kidnapped, Langdon realizes that the only way to save Solomon is to accept the mystical invitation and plunge headlong into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and one inconceivable truth ... all under the watchful eye of Dan Brown's most terrifying villain to date.

Presents the complete screenplay for "The Da Vinci Code" as well as behind-the-scenes photographs and details from the production of the film.

If I die, the truth will be lost for ever . . . I must pass on the secret. History professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in France- the curator of the Louvre in Paris has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes and need Langdon's help to decipher them. When Langdon and a French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they find a trail that leads to the works of the famous artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. As the clues unfold, Langdon and Neveu must decipher the code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle before a stunning historical truth is lost forever . . .

The murder of a world-famous physicist raises fears that the Illuminati are operating again after centuries of silence, and religion professor Robert Langdon is called in to assist with the case.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown makes his picture book debut with this mindful, humorous, musical, and uniquely entertaining book! The author will be donating all US royalties due to him to support music education for children worldwide, through the New Hampshire Charitable foundation. Travel through the trees and across the seas with Maestro Mouse and his musical friends! Young readers will meet a big blue whale and speedy cheetahs, tiny beetles and graceful swans. Each has a special secret to share. Along the way, you might spot the surprises Maestro Mouse has left for you- a hiding buzzy bee, jumbled letters that spell out clues, and even a coded message to solve! Children and adults can enjoy this timeless picture book as a traditional read-along, or can choose to listen to original musical compositions as they read--one for each animal--with a free interactive smartphone app, which uses augmented reality to play the appropriate song for each page when a phone's camera is held over it.

The first of its kind, this guide enables readers to get as close as possible to the words of Dante's Comedy. Opening up interpretative possibilities that only become available through reading the poem in its original form, it equips students with an enjoyable and accessible grammatical introduction to the language of early Italian. Including a series of passages drawn from Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, the text is accompanied by a detailed glossary, followed by a commentary which pays particular attention to matters of language and style. Further reading and study questions are provided at the end of each section, prompting new and fresh ways of engaging with the text. Readers will discover how, by listening to Dante in his own words, one may newly and more fully appreciate the breathtaking beauty of the Comedy.

For the first time, all four Robert Langdon thrillers are now available as one ebook bundle. If you haven't read a Dan Brown yet, now's the time. ANGELS AND DEMONS The countdown to oblivion has started - who will stop the clock? A famous scientist is found dead, a mysterious symbol burned into his skin. Many miles away in Rome, the world’s cardinals gather to elect a new pope. Little do they know that beneath their feet, a vast bomb has started to tick. Professor Robert Langdon must work out the link between these two seemingly unconnected events if he is stop the Vatican being blown sky high. THE DA VINCI CODE The race to uncover the oldest secret has begun . . . An eminent man is brutally murdered in the world’s most famous museum. Around his body are a ring of codes, hastily drawn in blood. He died to protect a long-kept secret which Professor Robert Langdon must now uncover. It will be a race against time to decipher this final message. Can he get there before the killers do? THE LOST SYMBOL To save a life, you must first crack the code . . . A mysterious invitation brings Professor Robert Langdon to Washington DC. But all is not as it seems in this powerful city. An ancient organization plans to reassert itself. And he is the only man standing in its way. If he is to prevent a terrible plan being executed, Langdon must decipher a series of increasingly bloody clues. But first he has to make sure he stays alive . . . INFERNO The world is in danger - who will save it? Robert Langdon wakes up in a Florence hospital with no clue how he got there. But another attack on his life makes it very clear – someone wants him dead. And fast. To survive, Langdon must work out who it is. And then he must answer the next question – why?