Chronicles the life of author Dan Brown, discussing his childhood, schooling, efforts to avoid the public eye, acclaimed novels, impact on the literary world, and other related topics.

A medieval scholar examines the historical facts and myths behind the best-selling novel, including discussions on the Templars, the Holy Grail, and the "Apocryphal Gospels."

ABRIDGED EDITION If I die, the truth will be lost for ever . . . I must pass on the secret. History professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in France: the curator of the Louvre in Paris has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes and need Langdon's help to decipher them. When Langdon and a French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they find a trail that leads to the works of the famous artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. As the clues unfold, Langdon and Neveu must decipher the code and quickly assemble the pieces of the puzzle before a stunning historical truth is lost forever . . .

For many years, conspiracy theories have been among the most popular story elements in Hollywood films. According to the "conspiracy culture," Government, Big Business, the Church, even aliens--all of which, bundled together, comprise the ubiquitous "Them"--are concealing some of the biggest secrets in American and world history. From The Manchurian Candidate (1962) to JFK (1991), The Matrix (1999) to The Da Vinci Code (2006), this decade-by-decade history explores our fascination with paranoia. The work paints a vivid picture of several of the more prevalent conspiracy theories and the entertainment they have inspired, not only in theatrical films but also in such television series as The X-Files, Lost and V.

As millions of readers worldwide react to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, so do many scholars. The novel has become a proxy debate for two compelling scholarly and social issues of our time: the feminist/post-feminist challenge to patriarchal authority; and the textual construction of meaning and value. Presenting the feminine as both dominant and sacred brings attention to every text which argues for dominance or divinity. Traditional scholars are being challenged to defend their disciplines and practices, to reassert the authority of their knowledge base. Postmodern scholars are finding an opportunity to explain to the world at large how texts construct meaning and maintain power structures. These essays examine resistance to the sacred feminine in religious, cultural, and literary histories. Robert Davis explores the return of the goddess to academic and popular discussions. Deanna Thompson examines the apocryphal evidence brought into the debate by the novel. Rachel Wagner looks at the larger issue of postmodern textual authority, and how Brown’s novel has brought Biblical interpretation to popular awareness. Arlette Poland reviews current feminist and academic thinking on textual versus spiritual authority regarding the feminine divine. Other essays identify the elusive and misunderstood sacred feminine in religion and literature; in church teachings and practices; in the variant Grail stories; in the mystery genre itself. Together, these essays place the reaction to these issues into broader social and contemporary contexts.

We are at the crossroads of world health. On the one hand we face the possibility of a world wide pandemic, the likes of which has never been seen before. We are, likewise on the threshold of discovering natural cures for nearly every disease. As choosing wisely may mean the difference between life and death, this book is designed to help the reader choose alternative options that are seldom if ever in the news. Jared Diamond, in his groundbreaking work, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, addresses the fact that only civilizations that recognize the threats against their existence, and deal with the threat effectively survive. Civilizations with their heads in the sand become extinct or are conquered by more vigorous nations. The robber barons of the last century were able to create a monopoly for oil and the automobile by ruthlessly and systematically destroying all competition. They tore up cable car lines and public transportation so the public would have no other alternative except their oil. Today, the drug monopolies, owned by the descendants of these same robber barons, are nearly complete in their plot to eradicate all natural, low cost remedies for disease prevention and treatment. In the state of Florida, naturopathic physicians were de-licensed unless they also had a conventional medical license. The powers that be want to create a drug induced society, at an enormous financial and emotional cost to the public at large. They are even trying to outlaw vitamins via European health treaties and side step the American constitution and the public. The ever escalating cost of medical care created by lack of natural alternative options can only lead to the eventual total collapse of the entire medical system. It is exceedingly difficult finding the truth about alternative medicine as the system has a vested interest in making profits and keeping the truth from you. A few thousand deaths is an acceptable loss if a few billion dollars can be made. And it will be a cold day in hell before a drug company puts itself out of business by telling you about a low cost natural cure that their product can manage. The guardians of public health know which side their toast is buttered on also. The career politicians and beltway bandits at the FDA know where the money is and they dont get it from you or providers of natural cures. The drug monopolies pay the big bucks. There have been no checks and balances. Corruption has become so pronounced that the US House of Representatives is seeking to pass the Consumers Access to Health Information Act (H.R. 2352) to ensure that accurate health claims ARE NOT SUPPRESSED. Consumers would be given TRUTHFUL AND COMPLETE information about the curative, mitigation, treatment, and prevention effects of foods and dietary supplements on disease or health-related conditions. The time to exercise your God given right to the health care of your choice is now. (www.lef.org) America has the finest emergency health care in the world. Bar none. However that is not the nature of the coming threat. American baby boomers will soon be retiring in the tens of millions. Their health care needs will be staggering and costly. However 92% of American health care providers are trained in emergency medicine and only 8% in long term preventative medicine. As it takes a minimum of 6-7 years to obtain a medical degree, America is unprepared for a crisis that is inevitable.

Examines the misconceptions about early Christianity throughout "The Da Vinci Code" and discusses the worldview presented in the novel, as well as Dan Brown's other writings, and how modern Christianity can respond to it.

#1 WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER • While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. “Blockbuster perfection.... A gleefully erudite suspense novel.” —The New York Times “A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure.” —People As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

Theories of intertextuality suggest that meaning in a text can only ever be understood in relation to other texts; no work stands alone but is interlinked with the tradition that came before it and the context in which it is produced. This idea of intertextuality is crucial to understanding literary studies today. Graham Allen deftly introduces the topic and relates its significance to key theories and movements in the study of literature. The second edition of this important guide to intertextuality: Outlines the history and contemporary use of the term Incorporates a wealth of illuminating examples from literature and culture Includes a new, expanded conclusion on the future of intertextuality Examines the politics and aesthetics of the term Relates intertextuality to global cultures and new media. Looking at intertextuality in relation to structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, postcolonialism, Marxism, feminism and psychoanalytic theory, this is a fascinating and useful guide for all students of literature and culture.

Discover the x-factor—the driving force behind extraordinary success. What accounts for the difference between the mega-success of Madonna and a thousand other wannabees waiting in the wings? Why did JK Rowling succeed where so many others aspiring writers have failed? And what was it about the slightly neurotic and mediocre schoolboy Sigmund Freud that ensured his position as one of the most brilliant and original thinkers in history? In this engrossing new book, Taylor builds on his theory that feeling like an ‘outsider’ from an early age, whether consciously or subconsciously not fitting into the norm, creates an edge that can drive outstanding success in later life. To this core philosophy Taylor adds a new ingredient: that of creativity, and he explores the interplay of these two factors—a lack of belonging and creativity—in the lives of a sparkling cast of individuals. Go beyond the glitz and glamour to discover how creative energy, harnessed to produce lives and works of extraordinary genius, can often exist against a backdrop of personal struggle and despair. From childhood outsider to adult icon, understand the journey of the following celebrities: Brad Pitt • Elvis Presley • Frieda Kahlo • Walt Disney • Sigmund Freud • Albert Einstein • Andy Warhol • Coco Chanel • David Beckham • Dan Brown • John Lennon • Sir Edmund Hillary • JK Rowling • Angelina Jolie • Tiger Woods • Amelia Earhart • Madonna