'CODE' NAMES

"The Da Vinci Code" sells. And not just for Dan Brown. His multimillion-selling novel has spawned scores of other books with the words "Da Vinci Code" or some variation in their titles -- books such as the newly published "Forbidden Faith: The Gnostic Legacy from the Gospels to 'The Da Vinci Code"' by scholar Richard Smoley. Smoley's book is one of at least 48 works now on sale featuring "Da Vinci Code" somewhere in the title, no matter how far of a stretch they are from the religious, art and historical themes of Brown's overheated thriller. These include travel guides, a children's book, health books, works of history, refutations and affirmations of Brown's theories, biographies of Brown and even a speculative examination of the themes of Brown's as-yet-unpublished sequel. The frantic efforts of publishers to work "Da Vinci Code" into the names of their books is possible because the titles of books can't be copyrighted. Here's some of the titles out there:
HEALTH BOOKS
"The Da Vinci Fitness Code" by Joseph Mullen (Fitness Therapy Publishing)
"The Diet Code: Revolutionary Weight Loss Secrets from Da Vinci and the Golden Ratio" (Warner).
"The Da Vinci Hoax" by Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel (Ignatius).
TRAVEL GUIDES
"Walking the Da Vinci Code in Paris" by Peter Caine (Avalon)
"Fodor's Guide to the Da Vinci Code," edited by Jennifer Paull and Christopher Culwell.
CHILDREN'S BOOK
"Who Can Crack the Leonardo Da Vinci Code?" by Thomas Brezina (Prestel), featuring a mystery-solving adventure for kids 9 to 12 that vaguely echoes the one in Brown's book -- but without the sex.
WITH HISTORICAL AXES TO GRIND
"The Da Vinci Man Code: Leonardo's Real Secret Code" by Allen Rubin (Life Purpose Resources)
"Rosslyn: The Story of Rosslyn Chapel and the True Story Behind the Da Vinci Code" by Andrew Sinclair (Birlinn)
EXPLANATIONS OF BROWN'S NOVEL
"Truth and Fiction in 'The Da Vinci Code"' by Bart D. Ehrman (Oxford)
BIOGRAPHIES OF BROWN
"The Man Behind 'The Da Vinci Code"' by Lisa Rogak (Andrews McMeel).
AN ENTIRE BOOK ABOUT BROWN'S NEXT NOVEL
"Secrets of the Widow's Son: The Mysteries Surrounding the Sequel to 'The Da Vinci Code"' by David A. Shugarts (Sterling), even though not much is known about the sequel except that it won't be published until 2007 at the earliest.
Source : Chicago Tribune