International Art Treasures Web Magazine

November 2004  

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Fiction!

The Da Vinci Code is on the New York Times Best Seller List for it's 80th week. The book is reviewed in the November 2004 edition of IATWM's Recommended Reading column here. It's the first time a fiction item has been included in that column.

Dan Brown opens up a new interpretation of Da Vinci's work. A cotton industry has arisen with various books and other items to help crack The Da Vinci Code, suggesting there is interest in this subject matter. Clearly there is a market for both the book and the other items. As a matter of fact, Dan Brown's earlier work, Angels and Demons, is also on the New York Times Best Seller List. That work looked at Vatican and Rome based artistic works.

Why is this book so popular and opening the door to other products based on its subject matter? The answer may lie in the author's mix of suspense and drama coupled with a deep and well conceived analysis of the masterpieces of Leonard da Vinci. Perhaps Dan Brown found a niche in bringing art fans to mystery novels and mystery fans to the delights of the art world.  His manuscript is a testament to the publics' hunger for good books with interesting characters, and curiosity for art history, all tied together in The Da Vinci Code.