With the much anticipated and eagerly awaited announcement that Dan Brown’s new book The Lost Symbol will be released on September 15, 2009, Mainstream Publishing and Simon Cox are delighted to present Decoding The Lost Symbol. This authoritative guide to the new novel will follow hot on its heels.

Brown’s book is set to feature Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon once again, in a quest to uncover clues and crack codes in a twelve hour plot cycle that promises to be as fast-paced and as well crafted as The Da Vinci Code.

Based on the cryptic comments that have come from Brown during the years he’s been working on the book, it appears this time Langdon’s exploits will take him inside the secret societies of the Freemasons and Rosicrucians – replacing Opus Dei and The Illuminati of previous adventures. Many historical figures are likely to play a part in the story including the United States Founding Fathers (Freemasons all) as well as others such as the notorious Albert Pike, Confederate General, Indian Fighter, and Freemason.

Locations such as Washington, DC, Salt Lake City, and Langley, Virginia, will keep much of the action within the territorial United States, but don’t be surprised to see Jerusalem featured too. The Lost Symbol promises to be a rapid-fire thriller with plenty of plot twists and turns to keep everyone happy. To quote Jason Kaufman, Dan Brown’s editor; “From the first page, Dan’s readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises.”

Booksellers are already predicting that The Lost Symbol will be the biggest selling book of 2009/2010 and six million English language books are to make up the first run. One day after it was announced, Amazon.com was listing it as the number one book (based on pre-orders alone), on their best sellers list.

Decoding The Lost Symbol will be written as an A to Z of the facts behind the fiction of the novel, listing the real people, places, organizations and themes featured in the book. Easy to read and straightforward in its layout, the book will also feature a color plate section. With extensive research and a depth of knowledge about the themes and subject matter, best-selling Dan Brown expert Simon Cox will piece together the fascinating and mysterious facts that will make up the base elements of the novel. Decoding The Lost Symbol will illuminate and enlighten all readers of the new book, adding to and enhancing the enjoyment of a potentially huge readership.

Simon Cox is the international bestselling author of; Cracking The Da Vinci Code; Illuminating Angels & Demons; The Dan Brown Companion; The Simon Cox A to Z Series (Ancient Egypt; Atlantis; King Arthur & The Holy Grail; The Occult).