Before The Lost Symbol was released I wrote an article pointing out the codes on the front cover and spine, and a few of the possible solutions. I’ve been meaning to update it for a while, but the easiest way is probably just to provide a PDF file of the Appendix 1 from The Guide to The Lost Symbol, in which I give all the codes (so far recognised) and their solutions. So, here it is!

Remember you can buy the complete guide from Amazon US for just $9.95, or if you’re on the other side of the pond, from Amazon UK for £7.99 (mad prices, I know). If you’re really cheap, or on the cutting-edge of technology (or both), you can instead grab the Kindle version for just $5.99! Either way, I appreciate your interest!

Update 19th Dec, 2009: I’ve just posted a HTML version of the article as well.

Last week the New York Times featured a crossword puzzle based on The Lost Symbol. You can now download that crossword as a PDF from the official Lost Symbol website. Test your knowledge of the book, and have some fun in the process – it’s a good challenge. Thanks to Bill Gates for the heads-up.

Just musing to myself about a few of the things that Dan Brown missed (or omitted, for unknown reasons) when writing The Lost Symbol. I thought of quite a few while reading the book, I should have written down a list. Here’s a couple that I mention in The Guide to Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol – I’ll update it with more if/as I remember them:

1. The phrase ‘Laus Deo’: Dan mentions how this phrase is written on the pyramidion of the Washington Monument, translating to ‘Praise God’. What he doesn’t elaborate on is that ‘Laus Deo’ is a phrase used in Scottish Rite Freemasonry. It forms part of the rituals and has also been inscribed on jewels of the Scottish Rite (see The Guide for an image).
2. Edgar Mitchell: Dan Brown explains the strange research and history of the Institute of Noetic Science (IONS), but for some reason omits one of the more fascinating aspects of IONS – it was created by Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell after he had a mystical experience while returning from the Moon. This seems perfect material for Dan Brown to elaborate on in TLS – why didn’t he use it (did his research miss this fact)? And, to double the Apollo interest factor in TLS: Edgar Mitchell founded IONS, and another Apollo astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, is a 33° Scottish Rite Mason – Aldrin even took a handmade Scottish Rite flag to the Moon on his famous mission with Neil Armstrong.

Feel free to add your own in the comments section.