THE LOST GUTENBERG: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey (Tarcher-Perigee)

MONA LISA IN CAMELOT: How Jacqueline Kennedy and Da Vinci’s Masterpiece Charmed and Captivated a Nation (Da Capo and White House Historical Association) 

For rare-book collectors, an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible—of which there are fewer than fifty in existence—represents the ultimate prize. In THE LOST GUTENBERG, Margaret Leslie Davis recounts five centuries in the life of one copy, from its creation by Johannes Gutenberg, through the hands of monks, an earl, the Worcestershire sauce king, and a nuclear physicist, to its ultimate resting place in a steel vault in Tokyo. Estelle Doheny, the first woman collector to add the book to her library and its last private owner, tipped the Bible onto a trajectory that forever changed our understanding of the first mechanically printed book. THE LOST GUTENBERG draws readers into this incredible saga, immersing them in the lust for beauty, prestige, and knowledge that this rarest of books sparked in its owners. Exploring books as objects of obsession across centuries, this is a must-read for history buffs, book collectors, seekers of hidden treasures, and anyone who has ever craved a remarkable book—and its untold stories.

MONA LISA IN CAMELOT chronicles the Mona Lisa’s voyage to America in 1963 and the critical role Jackie Kennedy played in America’s first museum blockbuster show. The original edition was excerpted in Vanity Fair and showcased on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”  A highly illustrated new edition was published by the White House Historical Association to coincide with Mrs. Kennedy’s 90th birthday.

Margaret Leslie Davis is also the author of three acclaimed biographies of important American empire builders: Golden Spur Award-winner Rivers in the Desert: William Mulholland and the Inventing of Los Angeles (HarperCollins), Los Angeles Times bestseller Dark Side of Fortune: Triumph and Scandal in the Life of Oil Tycoon Edward Doheny (University of California Press), and The Culture Broker: Franklin Murphy and the Transformation of Los Angeles (University of California Press).  Visit the author at MargaretLeslieDavis.com.

Praise for THE LOST GUTENBERG

“A fascinating story that touches on the origin of books, the passion of collectors, the unseen world of rare-book dealers, and the lives of the super-rich, past and present. A great read for any book lover.”
— Kirkus (starred review)

“Davis makes bibliographic history utterly page-turning and absorbing.”
— Booklist (starred review)

“A gripping, well-researched account of the importance of books as cultural artifacts and of one particular work that transformed the world.”   — Library Journal

“The writing in this book is straightforward and, at times, even heartbreaking, but outstanding reporting lies at its core.”   — NPR

“You don’t need to be a bibliophile to relish this history of how one particular copy of the Gutenberg Bible — known as No. 45 — passed from owner to owner in the 19th and 20th centuries.” —Washington Post     

“The Lost Gutenberg reads like a comedy of manners starring the cast of an Ayn Rand novel….It’s improbable and riveting.” —Houston Chronicle  

“A fascinating read for anyone who cares about books.”   —Star Tribune                 

Praise for MONA LISA IN CAMELOT

“Davis offers an intriguing sketch of Jackie—a woman as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa herself.”  —Newsday

“Instant Classic.”  —More Magazine

“Meticulously researched . . . a delightful story.”  —Boston Globe

“Mona Lisa in Camelot is well written, extensively researched and meticulously rendered — a masterpiece in its own right.” — BookPage