*'IF DAN BROWN IS A PLAGIARIST, SO WAS WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'
* New, updated paperback version of Burstein's SECRETS OF THE CODE, the
world's bestselling guidebook to The Da Vinci Code, announced with half a
million first printing
NEW YORK, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- There's no more plagiarism in Dan
Brown's Da Vinci Code than there is in Shakespeare's King Lear," said Dan
Burstein, editor of the bestselling book, SECRETS OF THE CODE: The
Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code, in a statement
released today. Burstein was reacting to the recent headline-making news from
a court case in London where Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, stands
accused of plagiarism by two writers of the 1982 bestseller, Holy Blood, Holy
Grail.
"Perhaps no one in the world has studied the issue of the source materials
for The Da Vinci Code as closely as our team of writers and editors in the
'Secrets' series," continued Burstein. "I can say with confidence that, while
we found Holy Blood, Holy Grail to be very important to The Da Vinci Code, it
was far from being the only book with that distinction: dozens of other books,
authors, and ideas were clearly critically important as well. Indeed, the very
purpose of SECRETS OF THE CODE from its inception was to introduce the reader
to the cornucopia of controversial and compelling ideas from a broad range of
books and other sources that Dan Brown had obviously read, digested, and used
in the storyline of his work of fiction in his own way."
Burstein continued, "Shakespeare did the same thing-he borrowed the plot
of King Lear and numerous other plays from prior plays. But then he added his
proprietary Shakespearean touch, which made all the difference."
SECRETS OF THE CODE lets readers explore for themselves what is fact and
what is fiction in The Da Vinci Code, both the book as well as the forthcoming
movie. SECRETS OF THE CODE has just been released in a new and updated
paperback edition with significant new content. CDS Books, an imprint of the
Perseus Books Group, announced today a first printing of half a million copies
of Burstein's book, which has come to be known as the world's leading
guidebook for understanding The Da Vinci Code phenomenon.
"The courtroom drama over the intellectual property at the heart of The Da
Vinci Code is not really a battle over plagiarism," said the award-winning
author Dan Burstein. "Instead, it is a battle over the collective heritage of
western civilization. These myths, legends, Jungian archetypes, alternative
histories, and cosmological theories belong to all writers, to do what they
will with them in fiction or nonfiction."
SECRETS OF THE CODE was a New York Times nonfiction bestseller for five
months when it was first published in hardcover and has been a bestseller in
many of its 30 international editions as well. SECRETS OF THE CODE is a
must-read for anyone interested in the plagiarism trial of Dan Brown or in the
deeper, broader discussion of The Da Vinci Code-the novel, the upcoming movie,
and the entire phenomenon that has so captivated Americans and people all over
the world.
"In editing SECRETS OF THE CODE three years ago, long before the
allegations of plagiarism surfaced, our editorial team sought out all the
books Dan Brown might have used in his research, and licensed the right to
present excerpts from many of them in our book," Burstein observed. "We
included an excerpt from Holy Blood, Holy Grail in SECRETS OF THE CODE because
it was obviously one of the key books Brown relied upon."
Holy Blood, Holy Grail isn't the only fascinating or controversial take on
the so-called "Holy Bloodline" or other key elements of the plot of The Da
Vinci Code. Far from it. SECRETS OF THE CODE follows Dan Brown's research into
other works and authors that obviously influenced him as well, including Lynn
Picknett's The Templar Revelation, Margaret Starbird's The Woman with the
Alabaster Jar, Elaine Pagels' The Gnostic Gospels and The Nag Hammadi Library
edited by James Robinson.
In addition to excerpts from Holy Blood, Holy Grail and all the other key
books used by Dan Brown in creating The Da Vinci Code, the new edition of
SECRETS OF THE CODE features numerous chapters that will be of special
interest to anyone following the London courtroom controversy. These include
an extensive interview with Lewis Perdue, an American novelist who charged Dan
Brown with plagiarism in an earlier court battle; essays about the hoaxes at
the heart of the "Priory of Sion" and Rennes-le-Chateau legends; the 30 books
of critical importance to understanding The Da Vinci Code; and a path-breaking
20,000-word biography of novelist Brown, written by the "Secrets" team's
investigative reporter, David A. Shugarts.
DAN BURSTEIN is the creator of the "Secrets" series, which, in addition to
SECRETS OF THE CODE, includes Secrets of Angels & Demons, Secrets of the
Widow's Son, and Secrets of Mary Magdalene (to be published in October 2006),
now has three million books in print worldwide. Edited by Burstein and
business partner Arne de Keijzer, the "Secrets" books have been best-sellers
in almost every major global publishing market. They have also been the basis
for special collector's issues of US News & World Report. SECRETS OF THE CODE
is currently in production as a feature film documentary, directed by two-time
Academy Award nominee Jonathan Stack. A two-hour documentary, Secrets of
Angels, Demons & Masons, is available currently on DVD. Burstein is a much
sought-out expert on the issues relating to The Da Vinci Code and has appeared
on numerous television specials from the History Channel's "Beyond the Da
Vinci Code," to Inside Edition and MSNBC.
SECRETS OF THE CODE:
The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code
Edited by Dan Burstein
Publication date: April 2006
610 pages; trade paperback, illustrations, ISBN 1593152736; $14.95
631 pages; mass market paperback, illustrations, ISBN 1593153678; $7.99
website: http://www.SecretsOfTheCode.com
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