Update March 6, 2026, 11 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional info about the book launch ; Originally published December 2, 2025 at 2:30 p.m.
Two years after publishing his New York Times bestseller The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel, Doug Brunt is back with a follow up about Diesel’s similarly fascinating – and forgotten! – contemporary Emanuel Nobel.
What happened to Nobel’s oil empire in Russia? That is the incredible story that Doug explores in The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel: Romanovs, Revolutionaries, and the Forgotten Titan Who Fueled the World.
From the dawn of the Victorian Age to World War I and the Russian Revolution, The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel shines a new light on more than a hundred years of history as Doug chronicles one of the world’s most influential men, whose name has basically been stricken from memory.
The History
Back in December, Doug announced The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel was available for pre-order (it hits shelves May 19), and the reveal was quite the family affair. Megyn lent her cinematography skills to the teaser below, which asks the all-important question: Why have we never heard of Emanuel Nobel?
As Doug explained, Nobel was “a Swedish guy living in Russia” when he and his family built the largest petroleum company in the world. By 1900, it was larger than Standard Oil. During World War I, they “controlled more oil than anyone else on the planet.” And yet few know his name.
So, why isn’t Nobel mentioned among the likes of John Rockefeller and others? It’s because something happened to him and his companies toward the end of WWI – and that is the story Doug uncovers in The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel.
Finishing Touches
Since the December reveal, Doug has been hard at work recording the audio version of the book. Earlier this week, he shared he survived the process… with a few hiccups along the way. “I’m free from audiobook prison,” he wrote on Instagram. Was actually fun and challenging in ways I did not expect. Who knew that stomach grumbling would require so many retakes?!?! Solution was holding a giant cushion over my stomach.”
By hitting his deadline, he said The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel audio book will also be ready for pub day on May 19. You can pre-order both versions now, and the book is already getting great reviews. Doug shared one on social media that he said “might be my favorite review of NOBEL yet. I love the people at History Nerds United – they get me.” Here’s what founder Brendan Dowd had to say:
“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.”
– Brendan Dowd, History Nerds United
Learn More
Doug has been working on this book since finishing The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel, and his research took him, Megyn, and the kids all the way to Sweden two summers ago. You can see pictures from that trip and learn more about the book at DouglasBrunt.com and in the clip from a December interview on The Megyn Kelly Show above.