Fact or fiction

Ok, so I never thought I'd get interested, but we were at the local public library last night on other business, and on impulse I checked if there were any copies available. Only the large print edition - everything else (a lot) was checked out. So I took it. It's on my desk. I haven't gotten past page 1. Let me explain.

First there's a title page, then that Library of Congress, copyright page. At the top of that page is this: "This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, event or locales, is entirely coincidental." Oh, really? Next comes the author's acknowledgements, another title page, then - before the prologue - a page with the word FACT in big bold letters at the top. Two paragraphs follow: "The Priory of Sion - a European secret society founded in 1099..."; and then, "The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that..."

What am I supposed to believe? Confusing, even before page 1.

I may read it for cultural literacy reasons, if I find the time, but I'll take the whole thing as fiction. And if I don't get to it, at least I kept someone else from reading this copy for a while.