Books with title Leonardo's Hand

This fascinating exploration of Leonardo da Vinci's life and work identifies what it was that made him so unique, and explains the phenomenon of the world's most celebrated artistic genius who, 500 years on, still grips and inspires us.Martin Kemp offers us exceptional insights into what it was that made this Renaissance man so special, and the "real" meaning behind such masterpieces as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. Tracing Leonardo's career in all its variety, we learn of his unfulfilled dreams, relationships with powerful patrons, and the truth about his views on God, humanity, and nature. The famous notebooks are the key to understanding the secret of Leonardo's success and genius, Kemp shows, as they clearly reveal the workings of his mind and display the truly innovative and investigative nature of his creative vision. In these notebooks, over 20,000 pages of drawings and notes detail his incredible discoveries and inventions--from the workings of the human eye to designs for flying machines and giant crossbows. Bringing the story up to the present day, Martin Kemp considers what he means to us today, investigates the "Leonardo industry," and speculates about what he would be doing if he were alive today.This updated edition of Martin Kemp's best-seller is the first book on Leonardo to include two newly discovered works, the most important such discoveries in over a hundred years.

"A scintillating sliver of history. . . . An inventive introduction to the Renaissance and one of its masters." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)"An unusual and surprisingly touching story . . . . An offbeat and intriguing read." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review)"At times sad, silly, and telling, this is a wholly entertaining book." (School Library Journal, starred review)"Filled with engaging details of Leonardo and his world. . . . Illustrations which range from utterly recognizable scenes of Florence to the ghostly horses at Leonardo's deathbed. . . . An unusual biography for young people, and one well worth poring over . . . . A unique way of picturing a unique world . . . . An extraordinary tribute." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

On May 2, 1519 at the Clos Luc in Amboise, Leonardo is dying. He no longer cares about art or science. He wants only to answer a simple question about his life: why did he abandon his colossal equestrian statue in Milan? Meanwhile, R-, a 20th century historian writing a novel about Leonardo, meditates upon the same question in the midst of an apocalyptic traffic jam, as military helicopters fill the air with tear gas, AIDS demonstrators run amok, and a hospital evacuates its patients onto a nearby sidewalk. Berry's stupendous novel is a fitting response to the close of a century obsessed with the "end of history." This book is a big masterpiece of a kind rarely dared in the contemporary novel.

Leonard Smith, called “Nard,” turns out to be the kind of boy who surprises everyone, including himself. An orphan with only one hand, Nard is used to bouncing from one foster home to the next. Then he moves out to the Swedenborge farm. A relic from the past, the old homestead is stuck in the center of a wealthy suburb. Life there is hard, with crazy Farley concocting wild, drunken schemes and neighborhood rich kids terrorizing the place, hoping to drive them out. But Anna is the mother Nard never had, and it’s there that he meets Anna’s granddaughter, Julie, as well as an unusual and mysterious kindred spirit who happens to be more than five hundred years old. This unlikely trio enter an inventors’ contest, hoping to solve their own problems: paying Julie’s huge medical bills and saving the farm from land developers. Then Nard gets greedy and wants everything for himself. His is the largest problem of all. Leonardo’s Hand is a magical and unforgettable novel about a boy’s search for a place to call home.