Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind the Da Vinci Code

by Dan Burstein

Book Overview

Renowned experts explore the underlying themes of The Da Vinci Code This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593150229
• ISBN13: 9781593150228
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: CDS Books
• Length: 371 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Nice backgrounds and history

What Dan Brown has written reguarding the church and Mary Magdelene is simply the "tip of the iceburg". There is such a long history behind the myth and origins of Chritianity that started before Jesus was even born. The foundations and backgrouds for many Christian beliefs are based on ancient Jewish, Egyptian, Greek, Pagan, and Roman traditions and rituals. This book shows you that Christianity is not a religion that begins with Jesus Christ. Christianity, in reality, is the culmination of various previous cultures, cults, and religions. The concepts presented in the book are vast and often times mysterious; they are not something any layman can immediately comprehed just by reading it. It's a collection of many authors who presented their own point of views as they provided the backgrounds necessary for their arguments. So it's a book of parallel histories. Some ideas would seem very outdated and cult-like by today's standard. The information presented in here shows how a simple gesture or ritual can have such profound meanings. A simple act of marriage, in one version of the arguments, represents the act of rescuing the fallen Goddess(Sophia/Magdelene), the psychie, by Godman(Jesus), the Consciouness. And there are other interpretations as well. Overall, the book presents many sides of the story, not just the church and anti-church as most peoples tend to think. Like the novel, this book will raise more questions after you're done reading it. That's why there are schlors who dedicate their life in pursuit of the truth reguarding Jesus.

A great Compliment to the Da Vinci Code

Like many people I read the Da Vinci Code and loved it. I couldn't put it down and stop reading it. With the upcoming movie, my interest in the Da Vinci Code has been re-ignited. I was very excited about the Secrets of the Code so that I could better understand the theories that Da Vinci Code presented. I began flipping through it a couple of weeks ago and really enjoy reading it. It really makes me think about what i read in the book and it gives me a different perspective of looking at things. I really enjoyed reading the section on Opus Dei and the section on the pyramid. If you enjoyed reading the Da Vinci Code and can't wait for this movie to come out, then this book will make the perfect addition to your library!

Excellent if you have an interested open mind

As others have said, this book is not for anyone encumbered with religious blinkers. Neither will it answer the big question of exactly how much of "The Da Vinci Code" is truth and how much is fiction - though you will be able to classify quite a lot of it. What it will do is clarify what is known, what is speculative and what is unknown. And it will give you a head start into a lot of history which is fascinating and was never taught in any religious classes I attended. Had it been, I would likely have been and remained a lot more interested. So if you know it all and just want your knowledge confirmed, avoid this book. It will just upset you and maybe even confuse you with doubt. But if you want to hear informed and sometimes conflicting views and arguments and learn a lot of most interesting facts about the foundations of western culture and thought, this is a great read.

Excellent....substance and trivia...

SECRETS OF THE CODE by Dan Burstein describes itself as the unauthorized guide to Dan Brown's THE DAVINCI CODE, apparently because Brown has a website that acts as the "official" guide for readers interested in the source material he used to construct his book. However, rather than point to a long list of books, many of which I have read, Burstein's book also focuses on passages of those books that are relevant to the script of Brown's book. Most amazingly Brown's book did not include as much as it could have. Although he may have relied on some sources more than others, it becomes apparent on reading Burstein's book that Brown (and Burstein) faced an almost overwhelming amount of material. Burstein has excerpted relevant passages from many works, interviewed a notable list of authors including Dan Brown, and included material from articles about Brown's book or some aspect of the book found in various respected publications. Probably one of the most interesting sections includes reflections, comments and articles by individuals who currently belong or have belonged to Opus Dei. Theologians, art historians, and at least one "symbologist" have been included in the list of folks to comment on varous topics in the book. In one section, the journalist David Shugarts responds to questions he has previously researched concerning the technical aspects of the plot. He reports on "geographical positioning systems (GPS), maps, automobiles, logistics, aircraft, weapons and computer search engines, and other technological plot elements. According to Shugarts, Mr. Brown got many thing right and several things wrong. I liked this book very much because I found it informative without being judgmental, and sections of it are as interesting as the original Brown book. Although the various contributors have their own often opposing points of view which they often express, Mr. Burstein, as nearly as I can tell, has no position one way or another, and thus acts as a reasonable mediator.

Justly Titled

Dan Burstein is a business executive pushing venture capital. Yet, he confesses that he found Dan Brown' The Da Vinci Code entrancing and unforgettable as a novel. He says it is because it is a novel of ideas. Thus, he set out to explore those ideas to see what, if anything, was behind Dan Brown's book.A personal aside, whenever I read a book and the author gets something that I know wrong that should be obvious, I wonder about other stuff in the book where I don't know anything. In Brown's case, it was his geography of Paris on page 15. Having read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" recently, I was familiar with the argument he was making, but still, I was skeptical.Burstein has assembled experts and sources for Brown's book and put them into a readable form. In some cases, he selects excerpts from other books. In other cases, Burstein interviews authors and experts. Some of them support Brown's argument and others don't. Even Opus Dei is given a section. My favorite section was a review of the facts and mistakes in Brown's book by David Shugarts. In some cases, Shugarts finds evidence to support Brown. Some interesting facts include that the publisher has set up phony websites, such as the one for the Swiss bank in the book. The bank does not exist, but it has a website on the Internet.There is also a glossary of characters and words mentioned by Brown with an explanation. In all, Burstein has put together an excellent collection of readings for anyone interested in The Da Vinci code.