Leonardo da Vinci Books

A selection of sketches, diagrams, and notebook writings by the Italian Renaissance master offers insight into his theories and observations as well as his role in period art, town planning, science, and philosophy

Offering a unique glimpse into the mind of a historical genius, this collection features Leonardo da Vinci's personal notebooks filled with his observations and sketches. Covering diverse subjects such as anatomy, engineering, art, and philosophy, the writings reveal his meticulous studies and inventive designs. Readers will discover da Vinci's insights on light, perspective, and aesthetics, showcasing his creative process and intellectual depth. This volume serves as an inspiring resource for art lovers, scholars, and those fascinated by da Vinci's boundless curiosity.

The book is a facsimile reprint of a scarce antiquarian title, preserving its historical significance despite potential imperfections like marks and flawed pages. It aims to protect and promote cultural literature, offering readers an affordable, high-quality edition that remains true to the original work.

Leonardo's Notebooks is a biography of the genius in his own words, connecting moments of his life to artistic accomplishments through his writings, drawings, and intimate thoughts. Leonardo da Vinci -- artist, inventor, and prototypical Renaissance man -- is a perennial source of fascination. His astonishing intellect and boundless curiosity about both the natural and man-made world influenced his numerous works of art, theories, and sentiments -- all of which were kept in his voluminous notebooks. This book is a collection of da Vinci's intricately detailed artistic and intellectual pursuits, and highlights the classic pieces of art he produced in connection with his writings. Leonardo's Notebooks provides a fascinating look into da Vinci's most private world, and sorts his wide range of interests into subjects such as human figures, light and shade, perspective and visual perception, anatomy, botany and landscape, geography, the physical sciences and astronomy, architecture, inventions and so much more. Exploring this image-filled book is as close to reading da Vinci's diaries as we can get. Organized and curated by art historian H. Anna Suh, she provides fascinating commentary and insight into the material, making Leonardo's Notebooks an exquisite single-volume compendium celebrating his enduring brilliance.

This volume includes practically all the drawings which have any interest for the student of Leonardo da Vinci as a painter or sculptor, which have an aesthetic and not a purely scientific or mechanical interest, as well as a small selection of drawings of the latter sort. The manuscripts are full of sketches, the greater part of them diagrammatic but occasionally of positive interest and beauty, apart from the text which they explain. This book was originally planned, and about two-thirds of the photographs collected, by Sir Kenneth Clark. With his approval, the work was completed by Mr. A. E. Popham, formerly Keeper of Prints and Drawings, British Museum. It is the most comprehensive collection of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings to be published to date.

"Two of Leonardo's notebooks, having been officially lost since 1830, were rediscovered in the Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, in 1965... On the basis of the wealth of new material in the notebooks, a group of the world's leading Vincians contributed to a reassessment of the many facets of Leonardo's genius, a large-scale collection of essays, which was published as The Unknown Leonardo. The present book...is reprinted in smaller format from that voluminous work"--from Introduction (page 7)

The second volume of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks showcases his diverse interests, covering topics like sculpture, architecture, zoology, and more. Each section is enriched with detailed drawings and diagrams that reveal his innovative thought process. It opens with insights on sculpture design and proportion, offering practical instructions on modeling, casting, and carving. Following this, Leonardo delves into architecture, discussing building design and engineering principles, providing a comprehensive view of his multifaceted genius.

Exploring the intersection of art and existence, this classic work has been deemed significant throughout history. Alpha Editions has undertaken the task of preserving its legacy by republishing it in a modern format, ensuring clarity and readability through careful reformatting and redesign. This edition stands out as a valuable resource for those interested in Fine Arts and Painting, making it accessible for both contemporary readers and future generations.

This manuscript is almost 500 years old and was handwritten by Leonardo da Vinci in his characteristic mirror writing and supported by copious sketches. It covers a wide range of his observations and theories on astronomy, the properties of water, rocks and fossils, air and celestial light.