Artist, engineer, genius. All these words apply to da Vinci, the true definition of the Renaissance man, a man still known — more than 500 years after his death — throughout the world for his innovations, his renowned paintings, and his curiosity. In this biography, Isaacson places the greatest emphasis on the latter, drawing inspiration for this hefty book from da Vinci's crowded sketchbooks and notebooks, which were scattered with precise anatomical drawings (da Vinci performed autopsies to study musculature and internal systems of humans), sketches of theatrical and musical creations, detailed plans for constructing urban waterways, and thousands of to-do lists surrounding these various obsessions (and others, including "describe the tongue of the woodpecker"). Oh yeah, and plenty of preparatory sketches for da Vinci's many artworks. Like the man it profiles, this book is utterly fascinating, giving life to a long-dead genius and sparking creativity in those who read (or, as I did, listen to) it. Highly recommended for fans of art, science, creativity, history, and for those who are simply curious about everything.
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