Link between Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and Huddersfield University Freemason expert Dr Robert Lomas

Nov 14 2009 by John Avison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

DA VINCI Code author Dan Brown has another hit on his hands with The Lost Symbol, a racy Masonic romp set in Washington DC.

The multi-millionaire master of esoteric mystery thrillers is no stranger to secrets.

But perhaps his best-kept one is that Huddersfield provides much of his inspiration.

Brown’s latest best seller surrounds Masonic secrets and hidden histories in Washington DC.

The Freemasons have been studied for many years by former Huddersfield Polytechnic IT lecturer Dr Robert Lomas.

Robert, an academic and writer, now lectures at Bradford University.

Some may say Dr Robert Lomas is similar to Dr Robert Langdon, Brown’s central character in The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and now The Lost Symbol.

Dan Brown has publicly acknowledged his debt to Robert.

Testifying in a plagiarism case brought against him by Michael Baigent in 2006, Dan Brown said: “An important book for this early research (for the Da Vinci Code) was The Hiram Key by Robert Lomas and Christopher Knight.”

That book examines the role of the Masons and The Knights Templar in excavating and then hiding a cache of early Christian writings.

Robert Lomas has maintained a friendly relationship with Dan Brown, with whom he shares a UK publisher.

Speaking on radio recently Robert said: “I supported Dan when he asserted his right to create fiction from published facts.

“I must admit I enjoy seeing how Dan takes my facts and spins them into thrillers; in the process taking liberties I don’t dare to!

“I write narrative non-fiction about the history and philosophy of Freemasonry and if my books inspire Dan to write about Freemasonry I wish him well.”

Robert has maintained a friendly rivalry with Brown over titles, though.

When Dan announced that his working title for his new novel was The Solomon Key, Robert, who had already proposed a non-fiction book about the Masonic influences on the building of Washington DC called Turning the Solomon Key, quickly rushed his non-fiction version into print in the US.