Reading Order
Da Vinci CodeRobert Langdon Reading Order
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (2003) is one of the best-selling novels of the 21st century — a thriller about Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon who is drawn into a conspiracy involving the Catholic Church, a secret society called the Priory of Sion, and the possibility that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and had a child. The novel sparked global controversy for its claims about early Christianity and Church history.
Where to start
The Da Vinci Code
Complete Da Vinci Code Book List
- 1Buy
Angels & Demons
Dan Brown·2000·The first Robert Langdon novel — set in Rome and Vatican City when Langdon is called in to investigate the theft of antimatter from CERN. Published before The Da Vinci Code but can be read in any order. - 2Buy
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown·2003·The second Langdon novel and the worldwide bestseller — the most immediate entry point for most readers. - Buy
The Lost Symbol
OptionalDan Brown·2009·The third Langdon novel, set in Washington D.C. among the Freemasons. Read third. - Buy
Inferno
OptionalDan Brown·2013·The fourth Langdon novel, set in Florence and Istanbul with a Dante-themed conspiracy. Read fourth. - Buy
Origin
OptionalDan Brown·2017·The fifth Langdon novel — a question about the origin of life and the future of religion, set in Spain. Read fifth.
Da Vinci Code — Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Da Vinci Code historically accurate?
The Da Vinci Code is not historically accurate and the Catholic Church, numerous historians, and scholars of early Christianity have said so extensively. The novel's specific claims — that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child; that this secret was suppressed by the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE; that Leonardo da Vinci encoded references to this secret in his paintings; that the Priory of Sion was a real ancient organization protecting this secret; that the Knights Templar were the Priory's military wing; and that the Holy Grail refers not to a cup but to Mary Magdalene herself (sangre + real = sang réal, 'royal blood') — are drawn primarily from Holy Blood, Holy Grail (Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln, 1982), a work of speculative non-fiction whose claims the scholarly community of biblical historians and art historians considers to be without credible evidential support. The novel's claim in an opening Author's Note that 'all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate' is true only in the limited sense that described artworks exist; the interpretations placed on them in the novel are not.
What is the best order to read the Robert Langdon series?
The Robert Langdon series can be read in any order, as each novel is entirely self-contained — the same protagonist, the same general formula (secret society, historical conspiracy, ticking clock, attractive female companion), but no continuing plot threads. Publication order is: Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), The Lost Symbol (2009), Inferno (2013), Origin (2017), and The Da Vinci Code: The Illustrated Edition (2004). Most readers begin with The Da Vinci Code since it is by far the most widely known; readers who prefer to start from the beginning start with Angels & Demons; neither choice affects enjoyment of the other volumes.
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