Explore Leonardo's life, art, inventions, discoveries, and thought

Get the truth about Leonardo da Vinci andseparate fact from fiction

Leonardo da Vinci not only created the world's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, but was also a pioneering scientist, inventor, and engineer whose contributions continue to impact everyday life. Of late, his reputation as a religious thinker has also grown. But just who was this quintessential Renaissance man? Da Vinci For Dummies delivers the straight scoop — from his secret journals and inventions to his detailed research on human anatomy.

Discover

Leonardo's contributions and modern day influence

Breakthrough scientific discoveries and inventions

The real story of the Mona Lisa

The religious symbolism in The Last Supper

The facts, fiction, codes, conspiracies, & more!

Product Description

The fun and easy way to understand his work, his methods, and his mind

Thanks to the phenomenal success of the bestselling The Da Vinci Code, interest in this famed Renaissance artist has never been higher. This friendly guide provides an easy-to-follow introduction to da Vinci's life and works, including the story behind celebrated paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, the lowdown on his inventions, which include the helicopter and bicycle, and plain-English explanations of his groundbreaking scientific work in anatomy, zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics, and hydrodynamics.

The book also discusses his famed notebooks, his relationship to the Catholic Church, and the factual basis of The Da Vinci Code.

Jessica Teisch, PhD (Berkeley, CA) is Managing Editor of Bookmarks magazine and has written hundreds of profiles and book reviews for this award-winning publication. She has also written books and articles on subjects ranging from literature to technological, environmental, intellectual, and cultural history.

About the Author

Jessica Teisch, PhD (Berkeley, CA), is Managing Editor of Bookmarks magazine and has written hundreds of profiles and book reviews for this awardwinning publication. She has also written books and articles on subjects ranging from literature to technological, environmental, intellectual, and cultural history.

Tracy Barr has been a part of the For Dummies phenomenon for almost a decade. In that time, she has served as editor, editorial manager, writer, and consultant to folks who write and edit For Dummies books. Most recently, she helped write World War II For Dummies with Keith D. Dickson and Religion For Dummies with Rabbi Mark Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman. She also is the author of Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies and coauthor of Latin For Dummies and Adoption For Dummies.