'An entertaining and insightful human story of obsession about books.' Daily Telegraph 'A lively tale of historical innovation, the thrill of the bibliophile's hunt, greed and betrayal.' New York Times The never-before-told story of one extremely rare copy of the Gutenberg Bible, and its impact on the lives of the fanatical few who were lucky enough to own it. For rare book collectors, an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible - there are only forty-six in existence - is the undisputed gem of any collection. The Lost Gutenberg recounts five centuries in the life of one particular copy of the Bible from its very creation by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, to its ultimate resting place, in a steel vault under the protection of the Japanese government. Margaret Leslie Davis draws readers into this incredible saga, inviting them into the colourful lives of each of its fanatic collectors along the way. Exploring books as objects of desire across centuries, Davis will leave readers not only with a broader understanding of the culture of rare book collectors, but with a deeper awareness of the importance of books in our world.

'An entertaining and insightful human story of obsession about books.' Daily Telegraph 'A lively tale of historical innovation, the thrill of the bibliophile's hunt, greed and betrayal.' New York Times The never-before-told story of one extremely rare copy of the Gutenberg Bible, and its impact on the lives of the fanatical few who were lucky enough to own it. For rare book collectors, an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible - there are only forty-six in existence - is the undisputed gem of any collection. The Lost Gutenberg recounts five centuries in the life of one particular copy of the Bible from its very creation by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, to its ultimate resting place, in a steel vault under the protection of the Japanese government. Margaret Leslie Davis draws readers into this incredible saga, inviting them into the colourful lives of each of its fanatic collectors along the way. Exploring books as objects of desire across centuries, Davis will leave readers not only with a broader understanding of the culture of rare book collectors, but with a deeper awareness of the importance of books in our world.

The rise and fall of William Mulholland, and the story of L.A.’s disastrous dam collapse: “A dramatic saga of ambition, politics, money and betrayal� (Los Angeles Daily News).   Rivers in the Desert follows the remarkable career of William Mulholland, the visionary who engineered the rise of Los Angeles as the greatest American city west of the Mississippi. He sought to transform the sparse and barren desert into an inhabitable environment by designing the longest aqueduct in the Western Hemisphere, bringing water from the mountains to support a large city.   This “fascinating history� chronicles Mulholland’s dramatic ascension to wealth and fame—followed by his tragic downfall after the sudden collapse of the dam he had constructed to safeguard the water supply (Newsweek). The disaster, which killed at least five hundred people, caused his repudiation by allies, friends, and a previously adoring community. Epic in scope, Rivers in the Desert chronicles the history of Los Angeles and examines the tragic fate of the man who rescued it.   “An arresting biography of William Mulholland, the visionary Los Angeles Water Department engineer . . . [his] personal and public dramas make for gripping reading.� —Publishers Weekly   “A fascinating look at the political maneuvering and engineering marvels that moved the City of Angels into the first rank of American cities.� —Booklist  

"Los Angeles as a cultural capital did not exist in 1960 when Franklin D. Murphy, M.D., rode into town. Over the ensuing thirty years, more than any other single individual, it was he who put it on the cultural map. In a brilliant work that includes a set of now-it-can-be-told institutional histories, Margaret Leslie Davis writes the history of an exceptional city at an exceptional time through the life story of a little-known but utterly exceptional man."--Jack Miles, Pulitzer Prize winner and Distinguished Professor of English, University of California, Irvine
"Rarely has a city and a man been better suited to one another. In this fascinating biography, Margaret Leslie Davis tells us how one man--as chancellor, corporate leader, and cultural entrepreneur--supercharged the transformation of a regional city into a world-class metropolis."--Kevin Starr, Professor, University of Southern California, and former California State Librarian
"Once again, Margaret Leslie Davis has chosen a fascinating subject and produced a compelling--and revelatory--biography. Franklin D. Murphy may not have been the most visible architect of the 'new' Los Angeles but he may well have been the single most influential figure of his time, leaving his fingerprints on everything from the expanded UCLA to the Getty Center. Anyone who lives in 21st century L.A. should learn about the man who shaped the city's culture as we know it."--Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian
"Franklin D. Murphy left an enormous imprint on Los Angeles because he touched so many different spheres. Thankfully, Murphy has a biographer whose protean knowledge rivals her subject's. Margaret Leslie Davis's fluency acrosstopics--medicine and education; art and architecture; industry and media; philanthropy, politics and civic affairs--is absolutely stunning."--Rick Wartzman, Los Angeles Times columnist and author of "The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of a Secret American Empire"
"At the height of his cultural and educational authority, Franklin Murphy was everywhere in Los Angeles. In this fine biography, Margaret Leslie Davis has traced his extraordinary influence and legacy. "The Culture Broker" is a careful tracing of the life and work of arguably the most important cultural figure in all of 20th century Los Angeles."--William Deverell, Director, Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West

""Dark Side of Fortune is a brilliant biography of the tarnished oil tycoon, Edward Doheny, whose importance as an American industrial pioneer ranks with such better-known figures as Rockefeller and Carnegie. Margaret Leslie Davis has written a superbly researched and definitive account of the founder of the modern petroleum industry in California and of his machinations in Mexico and the involvement in the notorious Teapot Dome scandal. Davis has a sympathetic understanding of Doheny but tells his story warts and all. He emerges from the compelling biography as a conflicted man who is at once a hero and a scoundrel--and above all an American original who seems larger than life."--Lou Cannon

"The life of Edward L. Doheny offers a fascinating saga of early twentieth century American triumph and tragedy. "Dark Side of Fortune, based on significant new archival discoveries, resurrects Doheny in a sympathetic, yet not uncritical, and always readable, biography, shedding new light on the oil industry, U.S. relations with Mexico, and the political scandals of the 1920s."--Jules Tygiel, San Francisco State University

"In terms of family saga, the Doheny story is the Ariadne's thread of Los Angeles history. It is perhaps the best pathway both into--and out of!--the labyrinth of the founding era. Thanks to Margaret Davis's "Dark Side of Fortune, the full story of this previously mysterious Los Angeles Founder, his determined wife, and their murdered son stands revealed in all its resonant complexity. Ours is rapidly becoming a golden era of California biography, and here (once again, UC Press!) is further proof."--Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California

"Margaret Davis' "Dark Sideof Fortune is pure California gold, a biography laced with adventure and misadventure, a carefully researched history that reads like today's investigative reporting, a briskly told tale rife with international hugger-mugger and domestic hanky-panky. And best of all, it just might rewrite the story of that White House horror of another year, the Teapot Dome scandal."--Ed Cray, University of Southern California; author of "Chief Justice: A Biography of Earl Warren

"Once again, Margaret Davis has demonstrated that she is a gifted writer and that truth is more fascinating than fiction."--Burt Kennedy, Brigade Productions

"Behind Doheny's brash self-confidence and his mighty oil empire lurks the image of la calavera, like a skeleton in the closet. Death would undo many--from Doheny's murdered son to the fallen reputation of Harding's administration after the Teapot Dome scandal. This dramatic and historical tale reads like a novel. Davis has once again revealed a vital part of Los Angeles history and its national implications."--Noel Riley Fitch, author of "Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child