The Dan Brown Enigma (36 page)

Wallace, Ron:
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Washington Pi Journal
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Water Street Bookstore:
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Webster, William,
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Wieser, George (Wieser & Wieser):
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Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects
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Woman with the Alabaster Jar, the:
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Zollo Paul:
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Dan Brown poses for a publicity shot before a reading of
The Da Vinci Code
in Exeter, New Hampshire in 2003. ©
PA Photos

As well as selling in phenomenal numbers,
The Da Vinci Code
proved to be extremely controversial. In early 2006 Brown (
above right
) appeared at a High Court trial in London, after two of the authors of
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
, Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent (
below
), accused Brown of plagiarism and sued his publisher Random House for breach of copyright. ©
PA Photos / Rex Features

Perhaps the most famous painting in the world: Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, which hangs in the Louvre. Officials agreed to allow Ron Howard to shoot scenes from the film of
The Da Vinci Code
inside the museum itself. ©
Rex Features

A black cloth covers an enormous poster promoting the film in Rome, after leading figures in the Catholic Church complained, saying the poster was ‘causing a problem’. ©
PA Photos

Filipino Catholics on their way to a book burning in Manila in May 2006. ©
PA Photos

Despite the controversy surrounding it – and some poor reviews – the film of
The Da Vinci Code
went on to perform extremely well at the box office. Here, Japanese movie-goers queue for a ticket at a Tokyo cinema. ©
PA Photos

Dan Brown arrives at the opening event of the 59th Cannes Film Festival in France, 2006 accompanied by his wife, Blythe Newlon Brown. ©
PA Photos

Brown pictured in Rome in 2009 with the key cast and the director of the follow-up film,
Angels and Demons
:(
l to r
) Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor, Pierfrancesco Favino, Dan Brown and Ron Howard. ©
Rex Features

Brown arriving at the Rome premiere. ©
PA Photos

Dan Brown posing with director Ron Howard and Tom Hanks, who plays
protagonist Robert Langdon. ©
Rex Features

Staff at Waterstone’s at Piccadilly in London prepare for the launch of Brown’s most recent novel,
The Lost Symbol
, in 2009. ©
PA Photos