To the average individual, Leonardo Da Vinci is known first and foremost as one of the greatest artists in history and as a remarkable figure during the Renaissance era. Those who may have delved a little deeper into the life and times of this rich historical figure may even know that, in addition to being an artist, he was a tinkerer of the sciences.

In this biography of the famous Leonardo, Capra explores the depth and genius of the master painter and dabbler of science. Labeled the unspoken “father of modern science,” this man who was known for his art was centuries ahead of his time in his thinking, and his dabbling was based on an artist’s approach.

Leonardo was a habitual note-taker, documenting his thoughts and experiments in notebooks - over 6000 pages of which have survived. Capra marvels over the many creative studies and experiments in Leonardo’s own hand. Discovering the mental acuity and creative visioning that led this singular man to amazing intellectual feats and foresight, Capra reveals the beautiful artistic approach behind Leonardo’s science.

The list of studies and experiments Leonardo pursued displays amazing ranges of complexity. Flight with machines, weapons, hydraulics, the human body, and a city’s rebuilding just touch some of the creative extremes that Da Vinci dove into. The application of his scientific method and knowledge proves as beautiful to today’s scientists as his art is to artists. Though others such as Bacon or Descartes have been tied to the foundation and visions of modern science’s path, Leonardo’s surviving notebooks bespeak different and possibly more realistic views on the future of science.

Acclaimed scientist and bestselling author Fritjof Capra is an acclaimed scientist as well as bestselling authorputs Leonardo's scientific thoughtin laymen’s terms for the layman to grasp and appreciate. Capra is thorough and passionate about the scientific genius that Leonardo evinced in his notebooks, and the author clearly cherishes the life and intellectual greatness he illuminates here.