Books claim to decode Brown’s ‘Lost Symbol’

After Dan Brown’s mega-selling “The Da Vinci Code” appeared in 2003, tracking the further adventures of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon (who first came on the scene in 2000’s “Angels & Demons”), publishers were quick to unleash a landslide of titles to feed off the novel’s success.

Some were well-written fiction adventures that stood on their own, while others were hastily constructed reactions to Brown’s thesis that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus Christ and was pregnant by him when he was crucified.

With the success of Brown’s long-awaited sequel, “The Lost Symbol,” it’s a case of déjà vu as a number of titles have appeared since September, this time concerning themselves with Brown’s exploration of Freemasonry and its impact on the nation’s capital and U.S. history.

Here’s a sampling:

* “Secrets of the Lost Symbol” by Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer is described as “providing compelling and authoritative explorations into [Brown’s] . . . ideas.”

* “An Illustrated Guide to ‘The Lost Symbol’ ” by John Weber is described as a “comprehensive, fully illustrated and intricately detailed tour of the arcana of Washington, D.C. It takes readers through the codes, trivia, riddles, records and historic maps . . . which lie in the shadow of ‘The Lost Symbol.’ ”

* “Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’: The Ultimate Unauthorized and Independent Reading Guide” by Alex Carmine is called by its publisher “a chapter-by-chapter analysis of ‘The Lost Symbol.’ ”

* “The Secret Symbol: The Original Masonic Documents Behind Dan Brown’s Latest Bestseller” by Peter Blackstock “provides a timely and invaluable insight into the mysteries of the Masons, using a rich selection of original documents, some obscure and overlooked, others notorious but seldom seen.”

* “Deciphering the Lost Symbol: Freemasons, Myths and the Mysteries of Washington, D.C.” by Christopher Hodapp “guides readers step by step through Brown’s intricate novel while differentiating history and myth from pure fiction.”

* “Secrets of the Lost Symbol: The Unauthorized Guide to Secret Societies, Hidden Symbols & Mysticism” by John Michael Greer is called “an encyclopedic companion guide to ‘The Lost Symbol’ [that] uncovers the forgotten histories of arcane traditions that have shaped -- and still inhabit -- our modern world.”