Welp, I got at least one thing right in my book Inside Dan Brown’s Inferno. Today on the Wall Street Journal website:
When Dan Brown’s new thriller “Inferno” is published May 14, one thing his readers will look for are clues to solving the puzzles that he sprinkles inside his book and on his dust jackets…
Here’s one tip: it appears certain that Professor Langdon will need to draw upon his old algebra lessons. In a mystery yet to be deciphered, it turns out that the book’s publication date wasn’t chosen by random.
“It is written 5-14-13, which read backwards 3.1415 – the value of pi,” said Suzanne Herz, a Doubleday senior vice president. Ms. Herz declined to reveal how the value of pi relates to the book’s storyline, saying that would be for readers to discover.
Scooped! I posted the video at the top of this story on February 21, and wrote about it in my book (indeed, the fictional ‘introduction’ to Inside Dan Brown’s Inferno is built around this hidden code), after getting the tip from one of the fantastic commenters on The Cryptex (‘RalphK’).
The inclusion of pi may be related simply to Dante’s circles of hell in his Inferno. However, there’s other more likely ways that it might be included – notably, the secret history of the ancient sage Pythagoras and his veneration by some of the drivers of the Renaissance. You can find out the full details in Inside Dan Brown’s Inferno (did I mention it’s only $2.99?).
Click on the cover below to go get a copy:
