Aping the Da Vinci Code

The left-hand image is the familiar cover to the mainland Chinese edition of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The right-hand image is the cover of the Chinese translation of a thriller by John DeSimone, apparently titled The Da Vinci Chair (达·芬奇的椅子). The book mixes religion, art, and European culture, and apparently was a huge best-seller in the US.

An interesting cover design, what with the red line and the logo in the “O”. The cover of the American edition (here) bears the title Leonardo’s Chair.

The Chinese edition, published at the beginning of this year by New World Press, even promises “The truth behind the Da Vinci Code.” Judging from comments left with online booksellers, this might be false advertising – audiences wonder where the tension of the “first book” went, and they aren’t too thrilled with Chair‘s conclusion.