This is a stunningly illustrated survey of Leonardo (1452-1519) as artist, scientist, and inventor. This engrossing study of the man who painted the "Mona Lisa", was a student of anatomy, and inventor of machines of war, cannot fail to stir the interest and imagination as it identifies the archetype of the "Renaissance man" whose infinite curiosity was equalled by his astonishing ability.As a painter, Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper" occupy unique positions in the world of art, his "Vitruvian Man" is an international icon. As scientist and inventor, his ideas were vastly ahead of his time. He conceptualized a helicopter, a tank, he experimented with solar power, a calculator, invented the double hull and outlined a theory of plate tectonics...the list is almost endless.This brilliant new volume will appeal to all Leonardo aficionados, new or old. In 1964, by Decree of the President of Italy, Giunti Editore was entrusted with the task of the editing and the facsimile reproduction of all the Codices and Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.