Lecture: Michael Visontay on "Noble Fragments"

Australian writer and journalist Michael Visontay will give a talk on his new book, Noble Fragments (Scribe), which tells the story of an American book dealer who broke up a Gutenberg Bible and sold off the leaves, and the author’s hunt for those fragments scattered around the world - one of which is owned by the Grolier Club.

One hundred years ago, Gabriel Wells, a New York bookseller, committed a crime against history. He broke up the world’s greatest book, the Gutenberg Bible. Wells marketed the pages as Noble Fragments, they sold like hotcakes, and he died a rich man. Half a century later, Visontay stumbled upon a mysterious legal document that linked Wells to his own family. He became obsessed with the Gutenberg Bible's invisible imprint on his life.

Part detective story and part memoir, Noble Fragments is an expedition into the rarefied upper echelons of book collectors and their eccentric passions, and a journey of discovery about how Wells’ gamble changed a family’s destiny.

Noble Fragments will be available for sale and signing at this event.

Registration

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Accessibility

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Environment

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