New Canaan Library Presents: Bestselling Author Douglas Brunt: The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel

Thursday, May 21, 2026 please join us for a special program. Emanuel Nobel was heir to a powerful petroleum empire, a fierce rival of the Rockefellers, friend to the Romanov dynasty, and the man whose innovations helped build the modern oil age. New York Times bestselling author Douglas Brunt’s new work of narrative nonfiction uncovers the riveting, little-known story of Nobel’s towering achievements. THE LOST EMPIRE OF EMANUEL NOBEL: Romanovs, Revolutionaries, and the Forgotten Titan Who Fueled the World describes how Emanuel took the reins of his family’s oil company at just 29 years old and grew the Nobel fortunes exponentially, becoming one of the wealthiest men in Russia and transforming the global petroleum industry. Douglas Brunt will discuss his new book on our stage with author Seth Wickersham. Douglas Brunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel and host of the top-rated SiriusXM author podcast Dedicated with Doug Brunt. A Philadelphia native, he lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. Seth Wickersham is a senior writer at ESPN and the New York Times bestselling author of American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback, and It’s Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness (2021). He lives in Connecticut with his family.