Taitoh --
As the certified first person in the world to find the secret message on "The Da Vinci Code," I welcome you to the small circle of true code breakers. So far the members are Me, Dan Brown, and Jason Kaufman, who designed the dust jacket. You too could be next if you solve the remaining cyphers in "Th Da Vinci Code." I've been google-ing "is there no help..." waiting for another keen observer, and so far you are the only one. Good luck with the other cyphers.
-- Christopher Landauer

I looked at the book for the first time ever yesterday while on vacation in Maine. I was only mildly curious until I noticed the bolded letters and found, like you, the message "is there no help for the widows son". I was so fascinated by this, I had to buy the book... I haven't even read it yet! I googled the phrase as soon as I got home to see if I was the only one wierd enough to notice and follow up on things like this! :) Glad I'm not! :)
--Dave Xanatos

Okay, now I know I'm not crazy. Of course, the people in Target, who saw me writing down on a small slip of paper the bolded letters, no doubt thought I was. I also had to buy the book right then and there. I googled, found you, and can't wait to dive into the book.

Ah- ha. Is this just a ploy to get the sharp-eyed readers to buy/read this book? That was the first thing I noticed when I picked up the book at the library - the bolded letters. And I had to write them down before I read the description!

Although I wonder if it's not a ruse - should we try scrambling the letters to see if any other phrase comes out? I'll read the book and then go back to the puzzle on the book flap.

Going to google the phrase some more also.

I also noticed the secret message and believe it will be the next book theme by D. Brown.

The words tie in with the group(s) who believe they are the direct descendents of Jesus Christ, and therefore have the right to rule the world. Some have believed thoughout the past nearly 2000 years that they are direct descendents--it's not a new thought, just a scary one.

I also saw the letters on the dustcover, but tucked it away as poor typesetting, until reading the intro where Dan Brown thanks the Dust Cover Artist. Nobody ever doas that. I then collected the letters and found the same message as all of you. The xmission web site, from the google search, has some very interesting information.

I've been working on the whole "code breaking" of the dust jacket and doing the online quiz/contest, I think I'm about to finish it too :) Glad to see I'm not the only one interested in all of this.

I love this book. I was the only one of all my friends and family to notice the "code" on the dust jacket! so i googled it and found you guys! Have you tryed the game yet? it's great fun!

Just bought the book today-- and already on chapter 34! Just can't put it down, except to decipher the codes... about halfway there on the website. Good Luck to all!

Well of everyone I seem to be the last and farthest dated from everyone else. No worries though. I'm a big fan of Dan Brown and just glad I made it here

Here I send you another riddle, regarding the Rennes-le-Ch�teau, the small town,where father Sauniere (what a coincidence!!)made a discovery...

Mysteries of Rennes-le-Ch�teau and the Prieure du Sion

by Steve Mizrach; edited by Morgana

Here are the basic outlines of the mystery of Rennes-le-Ch�teau. It was clear that Berenger Sauniere, the parish priest of the small village during the late 19th and early 20th century, had been receiving vast sums of money to refurbish the local church and also to build many structures in the area, such as his Tower of the Magdalene (Tour Magdala). Sauniere died in 1917, leaving the secret of where he got his fabulous wealth to his housekeeper, Marie Dernaud, who promised to reveal it on her deathbed -- but sadly she had a stroke which left her paralyzed and unable to speak before her death in 1953. Speculation was rife on the source of the parish priest's money. Was it the lost treasure of the Templars or the Cathars in the area? Might it have been buried Visigothic gold? Or was he blackmailing the Church with some terrible secret? The evidence that points to the last possibility is that Sauniere's confession before his death was so shocking that the priest who heard it denied him absolution and last rites.

The mystery is rendered greater by a series of parchments found by the cleric in 1891, which contained an easily discovered cipher. They were apparently written by his predecessor, Abbe Antoine Bigou, confessor to Marie d'Hautpoul, in 1781. (The same cipher appears on her tombstone.) The parchments were, on the face of it, Latin transcriptions of passages from the Gospels, but they contained deeper mysteries. Sauniere also appears to have left certain other "clues" in the highly unusual redesign of his church and of the other structures in the area. Hidden within those Latin parchments was a message in French:

"THIS TREASURE BELONGS TO DAGOBERT II KING AND TO SION AND HE IS THERE DEAD."
Within the second parchment was an even stranger message:

SHEPHERDESS NO TEMPTATION THAT POUSSIN TENIERS HOLD THE KEY PEACE 681 BY THE CROSS AND THIS HORSE OF GOD I COMPLETE THIS DAEMON GUARDIAN AT MIDDAY BLUE APPLES.
A third cipher that appears, not in the documents, but at Shugborough Hall's Shepherd Monument, is the curious "D.O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V.M" which has never been translated.

There is a famous painting by Poussin entitled "Les Bergers D'Arcadie" (the Arcadian shepherds) which shows them around a tomb containing the mysterious inscription "Et in Arcadia Ego..." This tomb appears to be a virtual replica of one not too dissimilar to it right outside of Rennes-le-Ch�teau. Three intrepid historians searched far and away for others to help decipher the puzzle. Suffice to say, Lincoln, Baigent, and Leigh did a masterful job of "unearthing" the Merovingian monarch Dagobert and tied together many mysteries of history with a fantastic thesis that can be stated as thus: Jesus and Mary Magdalene, legitimate nobility from the Judaic Houses of Benjamin and David, married and sired heirs. Jesus did not die on the cross but went either to England or India. (See Holy Blood, Holy Grail.)

Does anyone know the answer to the "ıs there no help for the widow's son"?? For what secret brotherhood does this code have a special meaning? I've been trying to find the ancient brotherhood that is the answer to the IVth step of the "uncover the code" thing... the answer of "is there no help for the widow's son"

The brotherhood in question are the Free Masons. -Tai

I just solved it - Dan Brown's a genius!!

If you want more Dan Brown, you should def. read the Digital Fortress - I just solved the ultimate code!!:)

Whats the dolphin and anchor code I don't get it but I got through everything else and I'm 15 help!

If the brotherhood in question is Free Masons then why every time I type it the sorry try again note pops up. How is it supposed to be typed?

Never mind I figured it out, my mistake.

THANK-YOU SO MUCH!! This stopped me going insane trying to figure out "the secret brotherhood". I know I have no life but this is exciting.
Once again thanks!

The ancient brotherhood is the Masonic brotherhood. Is there no help for the widow's son is like a battle cry for them or something I think.

Icant stop searching and googlin, who s the ancient brotherhood+, so my English is not very good and there are no spanish sites abot, help.dAN BROWN YOURE A GENIUS

> Is there no help for the widow's son
The widows son is code for Jesus Christ (lit, not profane)

Need Help please with the last code breaker on the uncode the mystery, the dolphin and anchor code what does it have as a phrase?? Help!
Thanks!! AMAZING BOOK!!!

hellO! ;) man ! this uncover the code thing is fun! i just started a while ago.. im at the 5th part.