Leonardo Da Vinci

By: Walter Isaacson

Narrated by: Alfred Molina

Length: 17 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson 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.

He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa. But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and technology. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history's most creative genius.

His 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 The Last Supper. Isaacson also describes how Leonardo's lifelong enthusiasm for staging theatrical productions informed his paintings and inventions.

Leonardo'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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2017 Walter Isaacson (P)2017 Simon & Schuster UK

Critic reviews

'To read this magnificent biography of Leonardo da Vinci is to take a tour through the life and works of one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time in the company of the most engaging, informed, and insightful guide imaginable. Walter Isaacson is at once a true scholar and a spellbinding writer. And what a wealth of lessons there are to be learned in these pages' (David McCullough)

largo pero muy interesante.

Una descripción profunda sobre Leonardo y sus pinturas , sobre todo intentando decifrar su genialidad

Awe Inspiring

An awe inspiring account one of the greatest geniuses of our time brilliantly captured by Walter Isaacson

overwhelmingly intriguing

I did a thought experiment considering how people would perceive Leonardo if he existed today. I concluded that he would still be considered a misfit. . .by every possible type of group. the quintessential misfit.

I was sorry it ended...

Leonardo was an impressive being. Stay curious, make notes. Nice to understand a bit more what all the “fuss” is about with his paintings.

What A Perfect Book.

This book really does a great job of capturing the nuances and fundamentals of what made Leonardo great and features many facets of his complex mind that I find relatable!

Another of Isaacsons great biographies works

It starts off a bit slow and I guess I was expecting more of the Steve Jobs biography
. This one is totally different but still the same intense research has been conducted. I urge you to follow through, and learn about one of, if not, the greatest polymath in history.

A truly remarkable life of unending curiosity. I loved this book and it has made me want to take that a second longer to ponder something, or watch people or simply to look at a table and be amazed.

"As a well-spent day brings a happy sleep so a well-employed life brings a happy death" - Leonardo Di Vinci

Amazing insights

Leonardo da Vinci has an incredible story of you are interested in human nature, history and or innovation this should be required listening...

A wonderfull very well written ...

...History lesson from an era and a genius that still affects our life and how we look at it

What a book!

This book gave so much! It is well worth the time. The research is incredible. Alfred Molina (Doc Ock) is such a great choice as narrator

Please listen to this book

An amazing journey with so much more

This book is packed with so much information and detail about Leonardo. This information is potrayed in a spellbounding way that keeps one focussed and yearning to hear more. I found myself scrawling through his paintings and drawings when each was discussed in depth. I guess this is one shortcoming with audibooks that one cant see the painting as referred to so often in the book. Listening while watching/ scrolling through the paintings on line was very helpful to me. I am looking at the painting with a lot more knowledge and understanding- Leonardo's work has become much more meaningful to me because of this biography, however I dont know if I would have finished the printed version of this book to be quite honest. Highly recommended