Books & Literature

Book Review: The Lost Gutenberg, by Margaret Leslie Davis

A gripping exploration of the life of the world’s oldest and most famous printed book, The Gutenberg Bible.

A detailed, highly readable narrative that places this incredibly rare book within its cultural and historical context
5

This is a fascinating tale of one of the earliest printed texts, a Gutenberg Bible. It is thought there are fewer than 50 extant today and the story of Number 45 covers just some of the dramas this book has witnessed. Gutenberg’s print shop produced the bible in about 1456 in Mainz, Germany and its early history is unknown. But through meticulous research drawing on scholarly works, private papers, newspaper accounts, biographies, auction catalogues, and much more, Margaret Leslie Davis has produced an incredibly detailed history of the last 180 plus years of this book.

Collecting a wide range of materials became a favourite pastime of 19th century aristocrats as, with increased wealth, more young men embarked on European Grand Tours where many treasures were now available following the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. There were, of course, concomitant guides, dealers in antiquities and rare books eager to make a living helping them build their collections.

Number 45’s first known owner was the third Earl of Gosford. Archibald Acheson was typical of this type of collector who ‘measure themselves by the size of their libraries’ and had no real interest in or reverence for the book itself. His early death found the fourth Earl, at just 19, quickly running up debts beyond his income and his father’s library was one of the first things to be sold.

The book’s next owner was a true bibliophile and Lord Amherst delights in finding all the little quirks in the bible. At the turn of the twentieth century there were over 1300 rare books in Amherst’s library. However, the revelations following the suicide of his family solicitor put paid to his library as he felt honour-bound to make good the money which had been stolen by the man from the family’s estate.

The next owner was no aristocrat but rather a wealthy businessman and partner in the Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce business. Dyson Perrins also had a major financial interest in the Royal Worcester china factory and at the age of eighty, sacrificed his book collection to keep the factory going after WWII.

The second part of Davis’ narrative concentrates on American Estelle Doheny who was the bible’s next owner. She had been an avid collector for many years and her husband had promised her early in their marriage that they would acquire a Gutenberg bible. From the first this Gutenberg bible was at the forefront of technological innovation and that continued under Doheny’s ownership when the bible underwent its most rigorous examination including using the new technology of a cyclotron to examine the ink.

The real talent of Davis is in producing a detailed, highly readable narrative which places this incredibly rare book within its cultural and historical context and in melding this with the lives of its owners which has resulted in a fascinating narrative where we can vicariously experience the thrill of the hunt and the obsession of collectors.

Reviewed by Jan Kershaw

Distributed by: Allen & Unwin
Released: May 2019
RRP: $29.99

More News

To Top