For rare-book collectors, an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible – of which there are fewer than 50 in existence–represents the ultimate prize. In this brilliantly researched narrative, 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 heir to the Worcestershire sauce empire and a nuclear physicist to its ultimate resting place, a steel vault in Tokyo.

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. In exploring the rich and fascinating life of a single copy, Davis illuminates the origins and history of the mechanically printed book, and the extraordinary work of Johannes Gutenberg that changed our world.