"When the seeds of modern thought were planted in 15th-century Italy, no one sowed more of them than Leonardo da Vinci. For the millions of readers today who ponder the mysteries behind his sketch-filled notebooks and enigmatic paintings, National Geographic presents Leonardo's Universe. This richly visual reference reveals the spellbinding Renaissance world like no other, painting a vivid picture of the historic backdrop of this astounding period that revolutionized art, science, philosophy, and politics."--BOOK JACKET.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Elements of the Science of Man describes how Da Vinci integrates his mechanical observations and experiments in mechanics into underlying principles. This book is composed of 17 chapters that highlight the principles underlying Da Vinci’s research in anatomical studies. Considerable chapters deal with Leonardo’s scientific methods and the mathematics of his pyramidal law, as well as his observations on the human and animal movements. Other chapters describe the artist’s anatomical approach to the mechanism of the human body, specifically the physiology of vision, voice, music, senses, soul, and the nervous system. The remaining chapters examine the mechanism of the bones, joints, respiration, heart, digestion, and urinary and reproductive systems.

Meanwhile, R-, a 20th century historian writing a novel about Leonardo, meditates upon the same question in the midst of an apocalyptic traffic jam, as military helicopters fill the air with tear gas, AIDS demonstrators run amok, and a hospital evacuates its patients onto a nearby sidewalk.

Leonardo da Vinci was one of history's true geniuses, equally brilliant as an artist, scientist, and mathematician. Readers of The Da Vinci Code were given a glimpse of the mysterious connections between math, science, and Leonardo's art. Math and the Mona Lisa picks up where The Da Vinci Code left off, illuminating Leonardo's life and work to uncover connections that, until now, have been known only to scholars. Bülent Atalay, a distinguished scientist and artist, examines the science and mathematics that underlie Leonardo's work, paying special attention to the proportions, patterns, shapes, and symmetries that scientists and mathematicians have also identified in nature. Following Leonardo's own unique model, Atalay searches for the internal dynamics of art and science, revealing to us the deep unity of the two cultures. He provides a broad overview of the development of science from the dawn of civilization to today's quantum mechanics. From this base of information, Atalay offers a fascinating view into Leonardo's restless intellect and modus operandi, allowing us to see the source of his ideas and to appreciate his art from a new perspective.

Also available as the third book in a five volume set (ISBN#0815329334)

Leonardo Da Vinci was left-handed. That’s probably why he wrote backwards from right to left to avoid smudging ink on his hand as he made notes on his latest works and visionary discoveries. Words could only be read with the help of a mirror making it taxing for anyone but himself to quickly decode his handwriting. There are many theories exploring the reason why he kept using “mirror writing” in all his manuscripts. Some historians say that he was trying to make it more challenging for people to steal his ideas while others claim that it was a clever attempt to hide scientific findings from the intolerant Roman Catholic Church of the Renaissance. Whatever the logic behind this, the constant association with mirror writing and studies on the human body anatomy, made him one of the most enigmatic figures of his and then of our century. This biography investigates Leonardo and his different roles from anatomist to inventor, architect, painter, rumoured to be templar and scientific pioneer. Despite leaving several of his works incomplete, Leonardo managed to influence generations of artists and still today remains a highly regarded figure in both the artistic and scientific sector.

Examines the life and accomplishment of Leonardo da Vinci.