LEONARDO DA VINCI by WALTER ISAACSON (Hardcover - 2017)

THE MOST TALENTED PERSON WHO EVER LIVEDWHEN IT WAS PUBLISHED IN  2017, THIS SPLENDID BOOK helped to cement Walter Isaacson's reputation as one of the leading biographers of our time.  He had already authored acclaimed works on Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin.  His desire to recount the lives and the works of eminent men led him naturally to an individual who is generally considered to be the most diversely talented person who ever lived, a man who personified the special meaning of Renaissance Man - Leonardo da Vinci.Born in Anchiano, Italy, in 1452, Leonardo had little formal academic training as a youngster, but he became accomplished in every field that interested him - painting, science, human anatomy, civil engineering, flight, botany, cartography among them.  His painting of the Mona Lisa is probably the most famous of all works of art.  His mural of the Last Supper, painted in the late 15th Century, is the most reproduced and recognizable religious painting ever.THE BOOK ON OFFER HERE IS IN VERY NICE CONDITION and appears to have been very gently read.  The pages are clean, crisp and unmarked and the intact dust-jacket has been protected with a removable Brodart plastic cover to keep it in good shape. The binding is firm and square and there are no signs of previous ownership such as an inscription or a bookplate.  It has numerous illustrations in full color (see above) including a two-page time-line depiction of the highlights in his life.  In addition to a general index, the book provides copious notes on sources and references.  It is a fine copy that will grace any private library.David McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian, said of this book: "To read this magnificent biography of Leonardo da Vinci is to take a tour through the life and works of one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time in the company of the most engaging, informed and insightful guide imaginable."Publisher: Simon & Schuster           ISBN: 978-1-5011-3915-4            Non-Fiction++ All books sold by Mackie Books are packaged in bubble-wrap to guard against damage from accidental bumping during shipping.   This book will be shipped in a sturdy box.  It is a heavy book weighing over 3-lb and that has increased the mailing cost a little.+  Click here to see other listings by Mackie Books on eBay, including American and international classics.+  We ship internationally through eBay's Global Shipping Program.+  All the pictures we post with our eBay listing are from the books being sold and are not stock pictures.+  We like to get books to you in the condition described above.  This means careful packaging - our specialty.+  We use recycled material for packaging whenever possible - and we ask our friends to do this too!+  At Mackie Books, we believe book-collecting should be free of stress.