Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel:
Too much money being made for Stalin’s taste.
Quick synopsis:
The story of oil titan Emanuel Nobel.
Fact for Non-History People:
The current Nobel Prize monetary award is about $1 million.
Fact for History Nerds:
Previous nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Joseph Stalin (TWICE!).
My Take on The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel:
I do love those characters from history who disappear into major world events only to be resurrected by an author who stumbles on their story. A new name got added to this list in Emanuel Nobel. Douglas Brunt brings Nobel back to life in his excellent The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel. Also, no, he’s not THAT Nobel. That was his uncle. However, Emanuel might be the reason we remember him for the awards in his name rather than the whole “Merchant of Death” stuff.
Brunt’s previous book The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel was another book which illuminated an overlooked life. This new work shows Brunt is not going through a sophomore slump. The men are very different in some important ways, but Nobel proves to be a much easier man to both understand and like, in my opinion. Nobel was the nephew of Alfred Nobel, but Brunt shows how it might be more accurate to call the entire Nobel clan “The Family of Death.” Various weapons, oil, and other destructive materials were their creations of choice. I don’t mean to make them sound like sociopaths, but we do need to be able to call a spade a spade.
Brunt is at his best when taking both complicated science and world events and distilling them to what the reader needs to know to understand the stakes. Brunt is what I call a gateway author. I can hand his books to people who think they hate history, and they might get hooked. Brunt moves this story along without losing the essentials of the people, places, and events. More importantly, he somehow makes the Russian Civil War understandable. I’ve read much longer books which couldn’t accomplish that feat because it is so complex. There is also a sense in Brunt’s writing that he is having so much fun putting this narrative together. It is infectious and makes for a fun read even when the topic is not. This is definitely one you should pick up regardless of your interest (or disinterest) in history.
(This book was provided as a review copy by NetGalley and Atria Books.)
Verdict:
A great book about a forgotten character. Buy it here!
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