Dan Brown | Signed First Editions

About Dan Brown

Dan Brown (born 1964) is an American author best known for his fast-paced thrillers that blend art, religion, history, and cryptography into complex literary puzzles. His breakout success came with The Da Vinci Code (2003), a cultural phenomenon that sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and inspired a wave of interest in symbology and secret societies. The novel’s protagonist, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, became one of modern fiction’s most recognisable characters, later appearing in Angels & Demons (2000), The Lost Symbol (2009), Inferno (2013), and Origin (2017). Brown’s deft weaving of real-world artefacts, ancient mysteries, and cutting-edge science has made his novels enduring favourites among readers who enjoy intellectual suspense and speculative intrigue.

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Brown was the son of a mathematics teacher and a church organist—an upbringing that helped shape the tension between science and faith that runs through much of his work. After graduating from Amherst College, he briefly pursued a career as a singer-songwriter before turning to writing in the 1990s. His early novels, including Digital Fortress (1998) and Deception Point (2001), established his fascination with technology, government secrecy, and moral ambiguity. However, it was The Da Vinci Code that catapulted him to international fame, drawing both controversy and acclaim for its provocative reinterpretation of Christian history.

The subsequent film adaptations, starring Tom Hanks as Langdon, brought Brown’s intricate plots to an even wider audience and cemented his status as one of the world’s bestselling authors. Despite critical debate over his literary style, Brown’s gift for narrative momentum, atmosphere, and high-concept storytelling has influenced an entire generation of thriller writers. Beyond his fiction, he has also written a children’s picture book, Wild Symphony (2020), combining music and storytelling to reflect his lifelong love of the arts.

In 2025, Brown returned with The Secret of Secrets, a new novel that reintroduces Robert Langdon in another gripping blend of myth, philosophy, and modern science. The book has already been praised for its cinematic scope and for exploring humanity’s timeless search for truth in an age of digital deception. As ever, Brown’s meticulous research, page-turning structure, and fascination with the intersections of faith, reason, and power continue to define his work. Today, he lives and writes in New England, where he also supports music education and literacy through philanthropic initiatives.