Fans of the blockbuster conspiracy theory "The Da Vinci Code" will be delighted to know that Dan Brown's thrilling sequel, “The Lost Symbol” hit the bookshelves on Tuesday.

The thriller, which again features character Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, has a first print run of 6-and-a-half million English language copies the largest first print in the history of publisher Random House.

A Dan Brown fan said, "I read all Dan Brown's books and they are very interesting, very nice. A lot of facts in this and also a lot of action, so that's the reason why I was sort of waiting for the book."

The plot of "The Lost Symbol" has been painstakingly guarded ahead of its release.

The cover shows a key surrounded by flames and bears a Freemasonry symbol above Washington's Capitol Hill, pointing to America's seat of power as the setting for the action.

Following the publication of “The Da Vinci Code”, Brown's earlier novels "Angels and Demons", "Deception Point" and "Digital Fortress" went on to become multi-million-copy international bestsellers.

(CCTV September 17, 2009)