{"product_id":"leonardo-da-vinci-the-biography","title":"Leonardo Da Vinci: The Biography","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Walter Isaacson is not an art historian, he's simply a lover of Leonardo, who manages to communicate the sheer joy of this remarkable man'\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooks of the Year - The Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe was history's most creative genius. What secrets can he teach us?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on thousands of pages from \u003cb\u003eLeonardo da Vinci's\u003c\/b\u003e astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, \u003cb\u003eWalter Isaacson\u003c\/b\u003e weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo's genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe produced the two most famous paintings in history, \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Last Supper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ethe \u003ci\u003eMona Lisa\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, \u003cb\u003ehe pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry\u003c\/b\u003e. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVitruvian Man\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, made him history's most creative genius.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis creativity, like that of other great innovators, came from having wide-ranging passions. He peeled flesh off the faces of cadavers, drew the muscles that move the lips, and then painted history's most memorable smile. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Last Supper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo's lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeonardo's delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance of instilling, both in ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a willingness to question it--to be imaginative and, like talented misfits and rebels in any era, to think different.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/walter-isaacson-books\"\u003eWalter Isaacson\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 624\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781471166785\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Isaacson, Walter","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £9.52","offer_id":47977655763121,"sku":"SB-1471166783-C2","price":9.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/sellbooks.co.uk\/products\/leonardo-da-vinci-the-biography","provider":"Sell Books .co.uk","version":"1.0","type":"link"}