Ever since Professor Beyer read The Da Vinci Code , he became intrigued by Dan Brown's use of facts in fiction. He realized that an examination of the novel could be a tantalizing and entertaining entry into the world of research and evaluating information, and decided to make it the subject of his freshman seminar class at Middlebury College. Beyer and many of his students have followed Dan Brown's work ever since, and four years ago, Beyer began to anticipate and delve into the facts that would be the core of The Lost Symbol . Like millions of other expectant readers, he purchased a copy of the novel on its publication date, September 15, 2009. He read and analyzed it several times, and, at the urging of his publisher, focused on writing this handy, reader-friendly companion guide to The Lost Symbol , in which he elaborates on 33 key topics and identifies 133 Internet links for even further exploration. The topics, organized by theme in seven sections, follow the plot of the story and cover the setting in Washington, D.C., art and architecture, cryptology, Freemasonry, secret teachings, science, and people and places in the novel, highlighted with 33 helpful illustrations.