Leonardo da Vinci
Walter Isaacson 
Simon & Schuster
<p>The author of the acclaimed best sellers <i>Benjamin Franklin</i>, <i>Einstein</i>, and <i>Steve Jobs</i> delivers an engrossing biography of Leonardo da Vinci, the world's most creative genius. </p> <p>Leonardo da Vinci created the two most famous paintings in history, <i>The Last Supper</i> and the <i>Mona Lisa</i>.
 But in his own mind, he was just as much a man of science and 
engineering. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued 
innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying 
machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. His ability to stand at the 
crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his 
drawing of <i>Vitruvian Man</i>, made him history's most creative genius. </p> <p>Now
 Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life, showing why we have 
much to learn from him. His combination of science, art, technology, and
 imagination remains an enduring recipe for creativity. So, too, was his
 ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, 
left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His relentless 
curiosity should remind us of the importance of instilling, in both 
ourselves and our children, not just received knowledge but a 
willingness to question it - to be imaginative and, like talented 
misfits and rebels in any era, to think different </p>