Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

Here’s a little tidbit that I learned from this amazing book: Leonardo da Vinci was the illegitimate son of an impoverished 16 year old girl.

I’m just going to share these reviews by notable critics and say this book is incredible. I am listening to it on Audible. I’ve always wanted to visit Italy but now more than ever I want to go. And when I do, I will plan the trip around a visit to Vinci.

“As always, [Isaacson] writes with a strongly synthesizing intelligence across a tremendous range; the result is a valuable introduction to a complex subject. . . . Beneath its diligent research, the book is a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it. . . . Most important, Isaacson tells a powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life.”
— The New Yorker

“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 and 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, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Wright Brothers and 1776

“Isaacson’s essential subject is the singular life of brilliance. . . . Isaacson deftly reveals an intimate Leonardo . . . a masterpiece of concision.”
— San Francisco Chronicle

“A captivating narrative about art and science, curiosity and discipline.”
— Adam Grant, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Originals