Leonardo

Why is Leonardo da Vinci known as the original ‘Renaissance Man’? What deadly weapon did a Renaissance woman keep inside her locket? Why did Leonardo visit the city morgue? Why did ‘shaving’ florins become a black market practice? All these questions and more, are answered in Leonardo, an outstanding and original Eyewitness Guide. Leonardo da Vinci, painter, philosopher, scientist, and engineer, symbolises the Renaissance world. He was the artist who created the Mona Lisa, and the scientist who understood the principals of flight 400 years before the Wright brothers. Like others of his time, he did not separate art from science. In this book stunning, specially commissioned photographs bring every aspect of Leonardo’s Renaissance world to life. Interest in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome thrived, and a new spirit of observation and enquiry prevailed. In the city-states of Italy, patrons of the arts enabled Leonardo and many others to devote their lives to art and science, and the invention of the printing press allowed their ideas to spread through Europe faster than ever before. Leonardo, written by Andrew Langley, author of over 100 adults’ and children’s historical non-fiction titles including Eyewitness Guide: Medieval Life, is a unique and exciting introduction to one of the most fascinating periods in history.