DK has accustomed us to great and attractively published art books, so I am sorry to say that its new series of illustrated "Artist" books is a big disappointment. I suppose it is meant to replace [?] DK's popular EyeWitness series, but it is a poor trade off. The book on Leonardo [one of several in the series] is a collection of superficial soundbites about the artist haphazardly thrown together without much coherence. The Mona Lisa, for example, receives mere three sentences of comment, and all three contain banal generalities. Did you know that her smile is mysterious? Or that the landscape in the background has "universal significance" [whatever that means]. You will not learn anything about the extensively researched symbolic elements in The Last Supper, and if you wondered what was the meaning of the "Madonna with the Pomegranate" you will have to look elsewhere. Despite DK's claim that each book in the series was authored by "a noted art historian" most of the books in the new series, including this one, do not even list the author on the cover or on the front page, and instead seem to be put together by a large editorial committee listed at the back [with the author of the text listed in minuscule text half way down the page]. There are other serious problems as well. Art reproductions are quite dark and small, compared to DK's similarly priced EyeWitness series books, and all important paintings are ruined by awkward and very intrusive squares and lines marked directly on them to provide comments. Reproductions do not include dimensions, and there is no painting title index at the end of the book, so finding a specific painting means thumbing through the pages. The main text of the series is typeset in a tall, narrow typeface which is rather awkward to read. There are no references to sources or suggested readings, so it is impossible to verify the origin of some surprisingly curious and unlikely claims [e.g. that Spanish Luis de Morales was influenced by Leonardo, p. 131]. Overall, this book and several titles of the new series I had a chance to browse through [on Goya, Caravaggio, and Bosch] compare unfavorably to similarly priced and just as attractively illustrated but well-researched and documented Discoveries Series from Abrams [e.g their book on Goya], or even with DK's own titles from the EyeWitness series.

THIS BRIEF VOLUME ON LEONARDO IS CLEARLY NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE BIOGRAPHY, NOR DOES IT PROVIDE A DETAILED ANAYSIS OF EACH SURVIVING MASTERPIECE. IN 116 PAGES OF TEXT, SUCH A TASK IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE. WHAT IS PROVIDED IS A CONCISE AND VERY WELL-ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO LEONARDO'S OUTPUT AS PAINTER. IN THIS REGARD THE VOLUME WORKS QUITE WELL, AND THE ILLUSTRATIONS AND DETAILS FURNISHED ARE REAL STRENGTHS. I FOUND THE COMPANION VOLUME FROM THIS SERIES ON CARAVAGGIO AN EXCELLENT COMPANION TO PETER RABB'S BIOGRAPHY OF THAT PAINTER, AND I EXPECT THAT THE LEONARDO VOLUME WOULD BE EQUALLY USEFUL AS A GUIDE IN THE READING OF A MORE DETAILED BIOGRAPHY OR STUDY.

I felt this book was tremendous for not only finding out what Leonardo's famous paintings are but also to compare his paintings to the works of many others. This book is full of paintings and sculpture. You're not going to get an in depth discussion of the history and theories behind each painting but I don't think that's the intent of a book like this. There's a lot of good information at the end also about famous artists of the Renaissance. Leonardo's painting talents were not only in his technique but also in the ideas and arrangements for the paintings. For example in 'The Last Supper' the figures are arranged in a unique way and 'The Virgin of the Rocks' introduced completely new ideas. Many other painters benefitted and used some of these ideas. Leonardo had a tremendous talent for painting the human face and accurately capturing the affects of light and shadow in paintings. He viewed painting as a science really which I think was more or less one of his unique characteristics. This book also mentions some of Leonardo's criticisms of others. Leonardo was never one to hesitate to criticize other people. He made a famous statement one time that many people are nothing more than consumers of food and producers of waste.

I kept waiting for the good part to begin. The set up for the crime is long and tedious and there is very little excitement in the actual theft or in its aftermath. I couldn't wait until it was over. Save your time and read something else.

It turned out to be a great overal bargain. I found that even though it is fictional, it was quite interesting and quite plausible. The book was the right combination of realistic imagination, creativity, and fact. Unfortunatly, though, I felt that the writer lost his flow near the end of the book. Therefore, I felt that the ending was just tacked on when the author felt that he was done writing the core of the book.

I was completely amazed with the writing in this book. Noah is an exceptional writer. I can hardly wait for the next one.

The only good thing I can say about this book is it has great book cover. That is the only reason I am going to keep it. I was looking for information on Da Vinci's Codex Leicester and was poorly dissappointed with the information given me in this book. If you are into art and know anything about art history this book is not for you. This book is for someone who does not have much knowledge about art history or Da Vinci. Don't get me wrong - I am not being a snob- I just think the title and description are a bit misleading. This book barely has any images or information on the Codex Leicester. If you want a basic history of Da Vinci and how other artist have used his images then it is a good book otherwise I would suggest Leonardo da Vinci The Codex Leicester-Notebook Of A Genius.

The Codex Leicester is the only Leonardo manuscript owned in the United States and the only one in the world still in private hands. Since Microsoft chairman Bill Gates purchased it in 1994 for $30.8 million, it has been exhibited in Venice, Milan, Rome,Paris and New York.

This book was entertaining and informative of parts of leonardo da vinci's life, but it did not cover all topics that were needed to be. Still an outstanding book nonetheless.

Tyler and Freckle always rode their bike through town, by the bike shop. They would do this a lot, but one day when they rode by the building it began to rise and disappear before their eyes. When the building reappeared they took their chances and entered Quigley's Bike Shop. It seems that Quentin Quigley does more than bike repair. The boys discovered a secret room filled with unusual artwork and inventions. They wondered about Mr. Quigley's true identity. Before they could find out, Tyler and Freckle got trapped in one of Mr. Quigley's inventions. They traveled back through time wondering if they would be stranded in the past forever.

I respect leonardo deeply.Though there is not a lot of information about this mysterious person,freud should not jump to conclusions that leo is a person with homosexual instincts.Just simply having a few pieces of information ,freud still dare to voice it out.He himself also admitted he does not have much information,yet he still manage to write so many things about leo.However,freuds insight into other areas like pscho-analysis is wonderful.

This biography over da Vinci follows a pattern of other books in the "In World History" series. The chapters flow nicely from information on the Renaissance in general and cutlure into which da Vinci was born, to other artists, scientists, and philosophies of the time, to the decline of the Renaissance and Italy's greatness. Also included are a timeline of da Vinci's life, an index, and a collection of further readings and websites for reference. Throughout the text are quotes and segments of source documents, as well as many photographs and drawings in black and white. One criticism of the writing is that periodically the facts included seem random and the wording is awkward in places. However, the book is interesting and not too much for a reluctant student to digest. Some works of art are discussed in more detail, such as the Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, and the Bronze Horse. The book is also very educationally oriented, not taking one side or another in controversial topics and including paintings and sculptures which do not reveal too much of the naked human body (Michelangelo's David shows only the upper portion). Overall, this is a good resource for a beginning researcher.

Seldom have I read a book that purported and looked as though it could be of interest and been so disappointed - perhaps I should have realised from the very title, insofar as most interested people rate Roger Bacon as the 'First Scientist'. The main point is however, that Mr White having conceived what he must of thought was a good idea then proceeds to regurgitate all the hoary old rhubarb that most truly interested observers consigned to the bin in their kindergartens. It is also, so dispiriting to read yet another unresearched comment about the likes of Ludovico Sforza and Lucrezia Borgia and others; and to find the chronology wrong and even some of the dates. I have not read any of Mr White's other books but I am amazed that a publisher of the quality of Little Brown should put its name to a book that overtly suggests it is authoritative but, quite clearly, is a tuppenny comic - they should be ashamed of themselves...unless of course, it is a spoof(?)...in which case it falls short of the mark on that score too.

Leonarda da Vinci was one of the most versatile scientists and artists of all times, so a very good reason to read a biography. Most of Michael White's book is indeed very readable. What disturbed me a little is that there are quite some extrapolations in the book: thin facts (which is probably logical if you have to go back 500 years in time), followed by enormous conclusions, which then may or may not be true. I also had the feeling that sometimes there were more clues available, butthat for readability's sake the author had decided to leave them out, only giving a rather vague indication that there was more information available. I found this rather distressing, but that may be the scientist in me who wants to know all the facts. Apart from this it is a very fluently written book which gives you a nice idea of the live of a genius who does not wish to conform to society.

I liked this book - it is well written and easy to read - but I do have a few complaints. Frankly, I can't see how the author concludes that Leonardo was homosexual based on the lack of nude females (and the abundance of nude males) found in his existing notebooks. We know that many of Leonardo's notebooks are missing or incomplete, so it's quite likely that many of the female nudes were simply ripped out (remember: these notebooks got passed around quite a bit back in the days before photography and Playboy centerfolds). Furthermore, it is hard for me to believe that the man who painted the Mona Lisa and other women with such loving care did not spend a lot of time studying the female body. So I really doubt that the absence of evidence here should be construed as evidence of absence. Besides, who really cares? My other gripe centers around the author's attempt to prove that Leonardo was the first "real" scientist. I'm not sure why such a classification is so important (unless of course the author felt he needed a new "angle" of some kind for writing about Leonardo). After all, when viewing the totality of a person's life, it's hard to say when someone can be considered a "real" scientist 100%. For example, I would venture that there are thousands of biologists who attend church on a regular basis, but I doubt we would dismiss their scientific sincerity simply because they partake in something as totally unscientific as religious ritual, chanting, school vouchers, rattling beads, etc. But don't get me wrong. Despite my complaints I still enjoyed this book and felt well rewarded for my efforts, gaining a deeper look into the mind of this old master, scientist or no.

This is very sad book with little merit. A perfect example of an author scamming the reading public. I wish there was some kind of publishing board that could review books and prohibit some from being published.

I bought this book because I loved Gelb's book by the same title (not the workbook). I was mildly dissapointed. My advice, skip the workbook and read How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci again!

Part of this book is for journaling and we've all heard how helpful journaling can be in different areas of our lives. That, however is not what I consider the value of this book.

Flip it over and you have the workbook part of the book. In this section the reader is made to sit down and think. Unlike journaling, where your mind takes you where it wants to go, the workbook gives us assignments.

For instance: Learning from Mistakes and Adversity (who doesn't want to do this?). This section encourages us to explore our attitudes toward mistakes by contemplating questions given. Following the instructions are two pages of questions that the reader must answer. In a word - it makes us think.

The work book also encourages readers to refine our senses. How often do we even consider doing this during the day when we have responsibilities piled upon us, clocks ticking the seconds away, and all the world'sgeneral confusion spinning around us? Not often!

I found this book enlightening, encouraging and helpful.

This book is one that did not provide much enlightenment or understanding to me on the subject. I felt my research in Brittanica, and other general sources of information, were far more enlightening source of knowledge than Shell's weak effort.
Janice Shell should stick to what she does best, attack penny stocks in an effort to destroy their value, for her own secret profits.

This books is very thin, and a very poor try at an important subject. Janice Shell would be better off writing a book on stock bashing for fun and profit. One read of this book, and you'll know this woman knows nothing about her subject. The World Book contains more info.

I found the book fascinating and compelling. I got it from my library for researching a paper, and I just couldn't put it down, until I had finished reading.

Now I have just had to get it for my library at home.