Noble Fragments (Michael Visontay, Scribe)

Noble Fragments examines the nature of value and the role of perspective in shaping it, as journalist and author Michael Visontay weaves together two interrelated stories. The first is about Gabriel Wells, the New York book collector who, in 1921, famously broke up a Gutenberg Bible into individual leaves and sold them as ‘Noble Fragments’. The Gutenberg Bible, printed in Europe in 1454 using the revolutionary Gutenberg moveable type printing press, ushered in the age of sharable knowledge on a scale rivalling the introduction of the internet. The book’s second story is of Visontay’s family, Holocaust survivors whose lives were also shaped by the Gutenberg leaves. The ideas explored in this book are compelling, though the two narratives sometimes feel a touch too distinct—less intertwined than expected, but each valuable in its own right. The author’s family history, detailing harrowing experiences during the Holocaust, certainly holds the reader’s attention. Meanwhile, the story of the Noble Fragments and their various trades promises a little more than it delivers. The book offers fascinating highlights, such as the revelation that the Gutenberg Bible was not the first printed book in the world, having been preceded by printing technologies in China and Korea. It even suggests that this Bible might not have been the first book printed in Europe. Bibliophiles will find much to appreciate here, even if the narratives occasionally feel disjointed. Blending detective story and memoir, Noble Fragments is a gem for those who dream of owning a tiny piece of history.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Becca Whitehead is a features and content writer based in Naarm-Melbourne. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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