Leonardo da Vinci - (Penguin Lives Biographies) by Sherwin Nuland (Paperback)

About the Book

National Book Award winner Nuland "distills one of the greatest minds ever into its pure essence . . . truly awe-inspiring" ("Time"). Illustrations.

Book Synopsis

The life and work of the great Italian Renaissance artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) have proved endlessly fascinating for generations. In Leonardo da Vinci, Sherwin Nuland completes his twenty-year quest to understand an unlettered man who was a painter, architect, engineer, philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. What was it that propelled Leonardo's insatiable curiosity? Nuland finds clues in his subject's art, relationships, and scientific studies--as well as in a vast quantity of notes that became widely known in the twentieth century. Scholarly and passionate, Nuland's Leonardo da Vinci takes us deep into the first truly modern, empirical mind, one that was centuries ahead of its time.

Review Quotes

"[Nuland's] own professional expertise enables him to write with particular insight and authority." --The New York Review of Books

"In this brief life, Nuland summarizes Leonardo's achievements skillfully." --Scientific American

"Nuland's enthusiasm and knowledge make his story interesting and easy to read." --The Seattle Times

About the Author

Sherwin Nuland, M.D., is the author of bestselling nonfiction titles including How We Die, for which he won the National Book Award. He is clinical professor of surgery at Yale University, where he also teaches medical history and bioethics.